Different Futures
by CrazyJan57
Summary: Alternate ending to my story "No One Knows What The Future Will Bring" - You may need to re-read that story for this one to make sense. Based on NW Zorro.
1. Chapter 1

**DIFFERENT FUTURES**

Disclaimer – I don't own the rights, Zorro Productions Inc does - I just like to play with the characters.

Plot - This is an alternative ending to "No One Knows What The Future Will Bring"

I wrote this at the same time of "No One Knows" which was over a year ago and just recently, I started to rewrite this into a new story. I wanted to keep the majority of the story the same but it just became too hard.

As I started to unravel one part, another part had to be undone, then another and then another. I've never done a major re-write before, so I didn't know what it entailed; I thought it would be reasonably easy to do but it wasn't. So, I've decided to go back to THIS alternative story and perhaps one day, I might use the beginning of the other one for some other story.

Since it's been over a year when "No One Knows" was posted, I have a short summary of it for you or you might find it best if you reread that story up to Chapter 15, otherwise this one may not make much sense :)

**Spoiler Alert for No One Knows What The Future Will Bring:**

Victoria attends her brother's wedding in Santa Barbara and while there, she meets up with Diego and discovers the secret. Diego is there to buy a new bull and he visited a female friend of his (a widow with a young child). In the meantime, Mexico has declared independence. Victoria is injured and she argues with Diego and he leaves Los Angeles for a business trip to Monterey and on the way home he meets up with the widow once more.

That is where this story changes - from chapter 15 (with some minor changes to fix it up)

* * *

Chapter 1

Diego felt honoured by the time he spent with the local Indians, both in and around the district of Monterey and he learnt a lot from them. He had also been sadden to hear of the devastation of the measles epidemic, which had struck their community over sixteen years before and of the many casualties it had caused, when the disease had spread like wildfire throughout the people who had never experienced it before.

But now, as he packed his bags, he knew it was time to make his way home; he had been away for almost three months and he knew that he could no longer hide away. It was time to face life once more, whatever that life may become. He said his goodbyes to the Garcias and mounted Toronado for the long ride back to Los Angeles.

When he reached Santa Barbara, he decided to stay a couple of days and visit Selena and her young daughter Marie. It was good to see a friendly face once more and immediately he felt at ease in her company as they chatted away like old friends. He saw her every day, helped her with her shopping, and took Selena and her daughter for walks down to the docks to watch the ships unload their cargo. He would often return to her home for lunch and told stories to Marie. Her childish giggles melted his heart and he felt a strong yearning to have his own children; it was as though Selena and her young daughter were healing his troubled soul.

Selena enjoyed spending time with Diego and it appeared that he had captured her daughter's heart and she quickly realised that he would make a great father. However, she was worried about him. When he showed up on her doorstop, his appearance had shocked her; he had lost weight and it seemed that the light had gone from his blue eyes. At first, he did not say what was bothering him and she did not press him, but he eventually opened up to her.

It had been five days since he arrived in Santa Barbara and they had returned to her home after enjoying a picnic lunch in a nearby park. Selena had put Marie to bed for her afternoon nap, and when she returned to her sitting room, she saw how unhappy he looked as he sat on the lounge. As she sat beside him, Diego began talking about Victoria and once he started, he found that he could not stop. He sat with his head in his hands and everything just poured out of him; his pain, his grief, his love.

Selena let him talk and didn't interrupt; she knew that he had to let go of whatever was troubling him, otherwise he would never recover from what was disturbing him. She remembered how shocked she had been when she had visited Victoria soon after she had been shot and seen just how deeply affected she had been by the loss of her arm. She could not even begin to imagine what Victoria or Diego had gone through over the last four months or so but she would help him in any way she could.

"You still love her, don't you?" she asked kindly as she placed her arm around his trembling shoulders and pulled him close to her.

"Yes, I do." He finally admitted as he took the comfort that she was so willing to give him.

As Selena held him, she felt her own tears build in her eyes. She knew that Diego loved Victoria deeply and that there could be no one else for him. Her heart sank at that realisation because over the last couple of days, she had come to realise her own growing attraction for the handsome caballero and that nothing could from it.

He pulled back from her, "Thank you Selena. I don't know what came over me."

She smiled softly, "It's alright Diego, you needed to let go."

For a moment he gazed into her hazel eyes, saw her compassion and something else that he didn't understand, something that he didn't want to acknowledge, even to himself. They were close, so close that he could feel her warm breath on his face and without realising what he was doing, he closed the distance and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was between friends but suddenly without warning, it deepened into something more as he kissed her with growing urgency.

Selena began responding to his kiss but when he moved to deepen their embrace even further, she pulled back, "No Diego, I won't be used as a substitute for her." she stated firmly as she stood up. It had felt wonderful to be kissed, after such a long time but she could not, would not, take advantage of his vulnerability.

"Madre de Dios, I'm sorry." he too stood up. He was shocked at his actions, ashamed that he had taken advantage of her generosity; she given him her friendship, her understanding, and he had repaid her in this disgraceful way.

"It's alright, it's just one of those things that happen." she replied understandingly.

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I think it would be best if we don't meet here in your home anymore," he said, "I do not want your reputation to suffer because of me."

She shook her head, "I can take care of my reputation myself, " she replied, "You're my friend and if I can't help a friend when he is in trouble, then what does that say about me." she said, "Besides Marie likes having you around, telling her stories."

Diego smiled, "I have to admit that I do like telling her stories," he replied, "If you're sure Selena, I will give you my word that nothing like that will happen again."

She smiled re-assuringly, "Of course, I'm sure. Come anytime you want to, until you are ready to go home."

For the first time in a long time, a real smile graced his face, "Thank you."

Regardless of their belief that they could ignore any gossip, her neighbours had noticed Diego's frequent visits to Selena, and in a very short time, the gossip had reached her parents.

* * *

Don Jorge de la Rosa barely contained his anger as he stood in the sitting room of his home. He had ordered both his daughter and Diego de la Vega to come and explain themselves, "You've become the talk of the town Selena, you and de la Vega. So much so, that I cannot ignore this any longer." he said angrily.

Diego tried to re-assure the older man, "I give you my word, Don Jorge, that I have not betrayed your daughter's good name -"

"It's too late for that Don Diego, it's gone beyond pledges of propriety," Don Jorge said, "The gossip that the two of you have generated, can now only end in one way. With marriage." he stated firmly.

"What!" Selena cried out, "You can't be serious father, Diego's been a good friend, nothing else."

Don Jorge shook his head, "A 'good friend' doesn't put a lady's good reputation in jeopardy without doing his duty towards her," he paused as he frowned at the young man standing in front of him. "You should have known better than to visit my daughter repeatedly at her home, without realising the consequences of those actions," he said, "And now I expect you to be the gentleman that you claim to be and marry my daughter or do you want to become a disgrace to your father?"

"Of course I don't." Diego replied as he exchanged a shocked glance with Selena; neither one wanted this forced marriage.

"But father, we can't!" she said with growing alarm.

"Yes you can and you will," he growled threateningly, "I will not take no for an answer."

"But...but what about mother, what does she say about this?" Selena asked.

"I agree with your father, Selena." Doña Adelina said as she entered the room.

Selena narrowed her eyes at her mother's words; she knew all too well that her mother wanted her to marry Diego. She had all but came out and said it when he first appeared at their home, many months ago, when he attended Senor Escalante's wedding.

Doña Adelina saw that Selena was about to speak but she raised her hand to stop her, "Selena, you haven't heard what they are saying about you. They are saying that you -" she stopped and shook her head, "I won't repeat it, it's simply too terrible to know that people are saying it of my only daughter," she said, "And if Don Diego doesn't marry you, it will become worse, much worse."

She turned her attention to the young man that she wanted in the family, "Don Diego, you are an honourable gentleman, would you want to see Selena become an outcast in society, where everyone would treat her as though she was a leper?"

Diego shook his head, "Of course I don't, Doña Adelina but I can not marry Selena." he struggled to control his rising panic; as he much as he liked and respected Selena, he didn't love her and he couldn't force her or himself into a loveless marriage.

Don Jorge stepped closer, "Why not? Isn't she good enough for the likes of you." he all but shouted as his temper finally erupted.

"Shhh Jorge, not so loud or you'll wake Marie." Doña Adelina tried to calm her husband; getting angry was not going to solve things.

"Nonsense, if I want to shout in my own home, then I will." he paused as he pointed a finger in Diego's direction, "Tell me why you can't marry my daughter. Is there any legal reason why you can't?"

Diego swallowed hard as he tried to think. There was no legal reason why he could not; he was not married and Victoria had ended their engagement, so legally he was unattached and therefore available for marriage.

"Well, is there?" Don Jorge asked again as he stepped closer to the young man.

Diego glanced at Selena, who was white faced and had tears in her eyes and he shook his head, "No Don Jorge, there is not."

"Good, then you will be married in two days -"

"WHAT! Two days!" Selena cried out as she slumped down onto a chair.

Diego could not believe this was happening; it was like a nightmare and he was hoping that he would wake up any second. But it was no dream, it was real, all too real. There must be a way to stop this forced marriage. Suddenly an idea came to him. If he could delay the marriage somehow, then they could then wait until the rumours had died down and then renounce their intentions to marry, "Don Jorge, I am willing to accept an engagement between us -"

"Diego?" Selena frowned but Diego continued as though he did not hear her, "But a marriage in two days is not acceptable, even by the church."

Don Jorge snorted in derision as he saw straight through the younger man, "An engagement can be broken," he replied, "And as to the church accepting this, we've already discussed that with my cousin and he is willing to give a special dispensation to permit the wedding."

Diego frowned, "Your cousin? I don't understand."

Selena's voice trembled as she answered, "My cousin is the Father Superior and he is currently here in Santa Barbara." she confirmed.

Diego gaped as he stared, first at Selena, then at her parents; her cousin was the Father Superior of the all Missions in California. If that was true and he had no reason not to believe it, then he was lost. He could not, would not run away from his mistake; it was a matter of honour, both his and Selena's. He would not leave her with a tarnished reputation that would cause her pain and suffering from those who had nothing better to do other than spread malicious gossip. He turned his attention back to Selena and saw the same shock reflected on her face that he himself was feeling.

Selena was in total shock by what her father was demanding. Once again he was interfering in her life; he never liked her husband, he believed that Roberto was below them and he had forbidden her to marry him but she had simply waited until she came of age and married Roberto anyway. She could have handled any rumour about Diego and herself by ignoring it; she had always hated those women who sat behind closed doors and whispered spiteful things so they could feel better about themselves.

Then she saw Diego's white face and knew that as a gentleman, he could not let this innuendo about them to continue; it was a matter of honour with him and she finally understood the dire situation that they were in. As she glanced at her mother, she remembered the words she had once spoken to her; that a woman's reputation was all that kept her respectable and accepted by everyone in their class. Once it was gone, there was no coming back from the disgrace, no matter how innocent the situation was. The only way to save her good name was to marry Diego.

Don Jorge smirked; they had no choice but to marry, "That's right Don Diego, my cousin is the Father Superior, and Selena is his favourite. Now you can do this willingly or you'll have to tell your father why his only son and heir has acted dishonourably with a respectable lady and refused to do his duty towards her." he stated firmly. He had to stop himself grinning ear to ear so that the young man would not see his glee. He had long wanted a formal connection with the de la Vega family and when he heard of the gossip between his daughter and the young de la Vega, he could not, would not let the opportunity slip by.

Diego gazed at Selena and saw her small nod of acceptance before he turned back to her father, "Very well then, you leave us with no other choice but to marry." he said stiffly.

* * *

**A/N** - I know that they probably wouldn't be allowed to get married in only 2 days - more likely a month but it makes for a good story plot :)


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Well, it was done.

He was married to a woman that wasn't Victoria. Not that it mattered anyway; she had made her feelings very clear to him when she broke off their engagement and her subsequent behaviour. But now he had to face the unforeseen consequences of his innocent visits to Selena. She was his wife, nothing could change that now, and he made a silent pledge to himself to be the best husband for her and a father to her daughter Marie that he could be. He had a duty to them both now, a duty that he would see through.

He could not even begin to imagine how his father was going react to the news that he was married, let alone married in this way. His father had been pestering him to get married ever since he returned from Spain but not like this, not because he had brought disgrace upon a respectable woman and in order to save her reputation, he had to marry her. And what of Victoria, his Victoria. He had loved her for so long, he doubted that he could ever let go of her. But he must, somehow he must.

After the brief ceremony, attended only by Selena's parents, Diego and Selena returned to the tavern where he had been staying, in order to retrieve his bags and to settle his account with the owner while Selena waited outside in the carriage for him. He would stay at her home until they could work out what they were going to do.

As he packed his belongings, there was a knock on the door. He sighed as he opened it and to his surprise, he saw Francisco standing in the doorway and the next thing he knew he was on the floor with his hand to his bleeding lip. He stared incredulously up at the furious officer; he had not seen the punch coming and therefore had no time to react.

"You bastard!" Francisco roared in a white hot rage, "You gave me your word that you would look after her and now I find that you're married to another woman."

Diego rose warily to his feet, "Francisco, it's not like that -"

"I don't care what it is like, de la Vega. You betrayed my sister!" he shouted as he raised his arm once more.

Diego saw it coming and blocked the punch, "Francisco, stop it," he said, "I do not want to hurt you." he said calmly as he held his childhood friend in a tight and immovable grip.

Francisco tried to release himself but the grip was too tight. Then he remembered just who he was dealing with and reluctantly stopped his struggles.

"Listen amigo -" Diego started.

"You are not my friend," Francisco hissed through clinched teeth, "Let me go, de la Vega." he fumed.

Diego narrowed his eyes slightly, "Very well but I will not tolerate any more violence against me." he replied coldly.

Francisco nodded and Diego released him.

The two men looked warily at each other, one full of angry and distrust, the other full of regret and sadness.

"Francisco, I have not betrayed your sister," Diego began carefully as he watched the other man, "Do you know that she broke our engagement four months ago?"

Francisco narrowed his eyes, "Yes, Ramon wrote to me about it but I can't believe that you could just drop her like that and marry the first woman that comes along," he replied heatedly. "You wouldn't have given up on Victoria so easily."

Diego sighed, he wasn't going to tell him that it hadn't been easy, especially in the last three months since he left Los Angeles, "It is complicated, Francisco."

Francisco snorted, "What did you do, compromise the widow?" he stared incredulously at his old childhood friend as he stumbled across the truth, "You did, didn't you? Is she your mistress then? Is her daughter yours?"

Diego could no longer take any further insults from his old childhood friend, "Captain Escalante, say what you will about me but I'll have you know that Selena is my WIFE and as such holds the formal title of Doña de la Vega. I will not tolerate any slander about her good name." His tone was icy cold and furious.

Francisco swallowed hard as he realised that he had gone too far, "Forgive me Don Diego, I was just protecting my sister, you understand."

Diego nodded, "I understand Captain, more than you'll ever know."

Francisco's anger faded as he saw the sadness in the other man's face, "You still love her, don't you, Diego?" he asked.

Diego gazed at his friend and said nothing, he owed a duty to his wife now and not to the woman he loved.

Francisco swore under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Life doesn't always turn out the way we thought it would."

Diego shook his head, "No it doesn't."

Francisco paused for a moment, "I hope you've done the right thing Diego, I truly do." he said before he turned and left the room.

"I hope so too." he replied with a confidence that he didn't feel as he closed the door and went back to his packing.

Five minutes later, he had settled his account with the tavern owner and then he rejoined his wife outside. He placed his bags behind the seat before he tethered Toronado to the rear of the carriage. He then climbed up and sat beside Selena, picked up the reins and urged the horse towards her home.

Selena was startled to see a slight bruise forming on her husband's lower lip, "What happened?" she asked worriedly. "Was it Captain Escalante by any chance?"

Diego smiled but then grimaced in pain, "Yes it was but how did you know?"

She shrugged, "I saw him enter the tavern and he wasn't happy," she replied, "I guess it didn't go to well with him."

It was Diego's turn to shrug, "About as well as you would expect."

Selena noticed that he wasn't going to elaborate further and she wasn't going to push him.

The rest of the ride was in awkward silence until they reached Selena's modest home.

Diego smiled as he helped his bride out of the carriage before he grabbed his bags and followed her inside.

"Mama." Marie cried out in happiness as she came running up the corridor; a neighbour had been looking after the little girl while they attended the ceremony.

Selena scooped her daughter up into her arms and hugged her tight, "Thank you Anna, for looking after her." she said warmly as her elderly neighbour came up to her.

Anna smiled warmly, "You're welcome, Selena," she paused as she saw Diego standing behind her friend, "Señor, you better take care of these girls, they are very precious to me." she ordered.

Diego bowed low, "You have my word as a gentleman, Señora, that I will take care of them."

Anna nodded, "Good, good. Now I must be going." she said as she left them alone.

Marie let out a squeal of delight as she squirmed out of her mother's arms and into Diego's, "Tell me a story."

"Say please." Selena gently scolded her daughter.

"Please." Marie repeated.

Diego chuckled as he held her in his arms, "Which one? The one with the princess?" he asked as he winked to Selena before they walked down the corridor to the little girl's room.

"Yes, the princess." Marie said happily.

Selena felt tears in her eyes as she moved into the small living room and tightly wrapped her arms around herself. She was pleased that they had taken a liking to each other, it would make their marriage easier. Their marriage! She shook her head in disbelief, she couldn't believe how fast her life had changed; from being a widow, with a young child, to being married woman once more, all within a week. She had never expected to re-marry and definitely not so fast.

* * *

Diego finished his story and saw the little girl was snuggled against him, fast asleep. He gazed at Marie with growing love in his heart; it wasn't the first time he felt this way for Selena's daughter, she had captured his heart almost from the moment he first met her all those months ago. He shook his head, suddenly realising that he was now, in effect, her father. He sighed as he carefully moved away and slowly pulled a light blanket over her sleeping form before he left the room, closing the door behind him. It seemed that he was destined to raise other men's children; first Felipe and now Marie.

He walked down the corridor and stood at the doorway of the living room and his heart went out to his wife as he saw her sadness reflected in the way she held herself. His wife! He still could not believe that he was a married man. A man married to the wrong woman. How had his life gone so wrong?

Selena heard a noise behind her and jumped when she saw Diego standing in the doorway, "You startled me. Is Marie asleep?" she asked.

He nodded as he walked further into the room, "Yes she is," he replied, "You have a wonderful daughter, Selena, you should be proud of her." he said warmly.

She smiled, "Gracias. It means a lot to me that the two of you are getting on well together."

There was an awkward silence between them before Diego cleared his throat nervously, "I am truly sorry about everything. It is my fault that this has happened, I should have realised what my visits were doing to you -"

Selena shook her head, "It's my fault as well," she replied, "I enjoyed your visits and I know what terrible gossips the neighbours are but I didn't care. But perhaps I should have," she paused as a thought crossed her mind, "Diego, you do know that I never wanted this, don't you? I don't want you to think that I did this on purpose just to trap you into marriage?" She hated to think that he believed it because it wasn't true. Although her feelings were changing for him, she wanted him to come to her of his own free will, not because of malicious gossip.

"Of course I don't." he said. He had seen his share of scheming Senoritas and their overbearing mothers and Selena wasn't one of them.

She sighed, "Oh Diego, what are we going to do now?" she asked, her voice quivered with her emotions as she sat down on the chair, "What am I going to do with this house and the shop? By law it's yours now."

He sat down opposite her, "Selena, this is your home and so is the business that your husband left to you," he said, "It's yours to use as you see fit, I will even sign papers so that it remains in your name."

She felt tears well in her eyes at the Diego's generosity, she had not expected such largess, "But you don't have to do that."

"I know but I want to. It will give you some independence and you can also use it as a future inheritance for Marie."

She nodded, "What if I decide to sell, will you be alright with that?" she wanted to know exactly where she stood in terms of her property.

"I'll support you with whatever you decide to do. If you want to sell that's fine," he paused for a moment, "You know, you don't have to decide right at this very moment." he gently teased her.

She smiled softly. "That's true, we do have a lot of time to think about it." she stopped as she looked around her home of the last five years, a home full of wonderful memories of her first marriage to Roberto. She hated to part with any of it but she knew that she must, she couldn't take everything with her to Diego's home, "I guess I should decide before we leave for Los Angeles." she paused and gave him a wry smile, "Unless you want to live here in Santa Barbara."

Diego smiled and shook his head, "It's a tempting offer but -"

"But you have responsibilities to your father and the ranch." she finished for him.

He nodded, "Father isn't getting any younger and I need to take over more of the ranch from him," he paused as he gazed around the spacious room, "But if there is anything you want to bring with you to Los Angeles, you are most welcome to."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Do you have enough room?"

He shrugged, "We have plenty of room for you and Marie," he replied, "So please don't feel as though you have to leave your treasured things behind." he gave her a smile, "You are more than welcome to change anything within the hacienda."

She snorted, "I don't think your father would approve, I mean it's his house, not yours."

"True but it's a hacienda full of men, so I don't think father would mind if you gave it a woman's touch."

She looked sceptically at him, "How is he going to react to our marriage, especially in the way we did?" she asked quietly. She only had a vague memory of Don Alejandro when she first met him when she was fifteen and to her, he had seemed to be a rather authoritarian figure.

He sighed, "I am not sure but he will accept our marriage." he replied, I will make sure of it, he added silently to himself, "I need to write to father today while we settle things here. I don't want him to hear it from some gossip."

She nodded, "I have writing paper and ink over by the side table." she paused not sure if she should say but she felt that she must, "Will you write to Victoria as well?" she asked softly.

He looked down at the floor and nodded, "Yes I will, it would be better if it came from me," he replied, "Just because she broke our engagement, doesn't mean that I...that we wouldn't..." he stopped.

Selena reached over and gently touched his arm, "That you may have reconciled at some point in the future."

Diego looked up and saw her compassion, her understanding, "I can not deny the possibility of a reconciliation between us." he admitted truthfully.

There was another awkward moment before Selena stood up and moved towards the doorway, "I'll get the guest room ready for you unless you want...I mean...I..." she stopped as a hot flush rose over her face.

He shook his head as he too stood up. "The guest room will be fine," he said, "Selena, I give you my word that I won't demand anything from you, I don't expect a real marriage between us, not when I..." he stopped.

"Not when you love Victoria." she added softly and gave him a sad smile before she left the room. She hoped that sometime in the future he would come to love her too. If truth be told, she wanted a true marriage once more, she wanted to feel the warmth of a man sleeping beside her, to be loved and to give love in return.

* * *

Later that night, Diego woke to hear a woman sobbing. For a moment he was disorientated but he quickly remembered what had transpired earlier that day and threw back the bed covers, grabbed his robe and quietly left his room. He walked along the hallway and knocked on Selena's bedroom door.

"Selena...Selena." he called out but all he heard was the heart-wrenching sobs. He opened the door and took a step inside and his heart went out as he saw his wife sobbing into her pillow. He crossed the room, sat on the edge of her bed and pulled her into his arms.

"Shhh Selena, its alright." he tried to soothe her.

"I hate him Diego, I hate my father for doing this to us." she wailed as she collapsed against him in her grief.

"He did what he thought was best to protect his daughter," he said softly. He shifted so that he was sitting against the bed head and held her tight, "Let it go, Selena, let it all out." he whispered as hot tears burned his eyes; his life with Victoria was over.

They held each other for a long time, grieving over what each had lost.

Selena pulled back from his comforting embrace, "I'm sorry, your robe is wet." she sniffled.

He gave a small smile, "It will dry." he replied.

She nodded, "I guess it will." she said as she shifted uncomfortably in the bed, "Thank you."

Diego noticed her unease, "You're welcome," he replied as he untangled himself from her bed and stood up.

"Are we going to be alright, Diego?" she asked quietly.

He gave her a reassuring smile, "Yes, we are going to be alright." he replied, "Good night Selena." he said.

"Good night Diego." she replied as she watched him leave her room, wondering what the future will bring for them.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

To say that Don Alejandro was surprised when he read Diego's letter, would be a total understatement. He had just arrived home with Felipe, after riding along their boundaries checking for any unbranded cattle, when he saw a letter from his son, sitting on the small table in the library.

"Ah Felipe, we have a letter from Diego." he said with a smile as he eagerly picked up the letter.

Felipe signed, to which Don Alejandro nodded, "Yes, it may say when he is finally coming home," he replied as he opened the envelope, "Hopefully he will be back soon Felipe, I've been missing -" he stopped so suddenly that Felipe became concerned by the older man's silence.

"Madre de Dios!" Don Alejandro cried out in disbelief as his legs collapsed under him. It was only good luck that he had been standing beside the lounge chair, otherwise he would have collapsed onto the floor.

Felipe rushed to Don Alejandro's side and grabbed his arm to help him into a more comfortable position on the seat. He was terribly worried that the older man might be having some kind of heart seizure; his face had gone pale and he could feel him trembling. He didn't know what to do to help him and was about to get their housekeeper when Don Alejandro recovered enough to hold onto Felipe's arm.

"I'm alright Felipe. I'm alright." his voice crackled with his disbelief as he re-assured the young man.

Felipe was relieved that Don Alejandro was fine but now he was frightened about the reason why he had collapsed as he had done. What was in that letter that would cause Don Alejandro to collapse like that? Had something happened to Diego? He signed slowly enough for the older man to understand; he wanted to know what the letter was about.

Don Alejandro sat back on the chair and ran his fingers through his silver hair, "Diego is alright, Felipe. He's fine." he took a deep breath and glanced down at the crushed letter in his hand before he looked up at the youth, "Diego has married."

Felipe stared in disbelief at Don Alejandro, unsure if he had heard correctly. He signed his confusion.

Don Alejandro nodded, "Yes, what I said is true," he replied, "Diego has married Señora Selena Costa, four days ago and the reason...the reason...here, you can read it for yourself." he said hoarsely as he gave the letter to Felipe. He was flabbergasted beyond belief, not only that his son was married but as to how the marriage came about. He was furious that Diego had dishonoured the reputation of a respectable widow by his frequent visits to her home and the gossip that it generated. How could his son be so stupid? Surely, he must have known there could only be one outcome to his visits. Or had he just accepted her because she was the first woman than came along after what happened with Victoria?

Don Alejandro sighed; he did not want this kind of marriage for his son. He wanted Diego to know the joy, and the frustrations, that came from being in love with a woman.

Felipe read the letter with growing anger; not only was Diego married to a woman but he was also a stepfather to her four year old daughter. How could Diego have married this widow when he loved Victoria? How could he have done it? Oh, he understood why but he also knew that this marriage was going to change everything and he wasn't sure if he liked it. What did it mean for him and Diego's adoption of him? Would he still want to go through with the adoption now that he was married and would have children on his own? He threw the letter onto the floor and left the room in an angry huff.

Don Alejandro frowned as he watched the young man storm angrily out of the room and knew that Diego was going to have some trouble with Felipe when he returns home with a wife and child. He reached down, picked up the letter, and read it through again.

Diego had mentioned that he was writing to Victoria at the same time, as he wanted her to hear it from him and not from a stranger. He shook his head; he was very worried as to what her reaction was going to be. She had changed so much in the last couple of months; from the cold, unfeeling person to the lively and warm young woman that she was before she lost her arm. Now he feared for her emotional stability and prayed that she had enough courage to see her through this unexpected and heartbreaking news.

* * *

Victoria was in the main taproom chatting with Ramon as they cleaned up. It was almost siesta time and the busy lunch time orders was over and the tavern was all but empty except for a handful of patrons who were finishing their last cups of coffee.

There was a commotion at the doorway and Señor Lopez, the shopkeeper, came through the door with a smile on his face, "I have mail for you both." he said as he handed over several letters to Ramon before he left to continue a number of deliveries.

"Gracias Señor," Ramon said absently. He saw two letters from Francisco, one each for Victoria and himself as well as another letter for Victoria.

"What have you got Ramon?" Victoria asked as she walked up to him.

"Letters from Francisco and you have another one that I don't recognise," he replied, "Here let me open it for you." he opened the letters and handed them over to her without reading it.

"Gracias," she replied, "Oh my god, it's from Diego." she was startled as she stared at the neat handwriting, she never expected to receive a letter from him, not after almost three months away.

Ramon frowned slightly, "Are you sure it's from him?"

She nodded, "Of course, I know his writing." she replied as she eagerly began to read, while Ramon shook his head as he slowly opened his brother's letter. He had only just started it when he heard a terrible cry from his sister that was so full of anguish that it almost made his heart stop.

"NOO!" she cried out as she went white in the face, she swayed on her feet before her eyes rolled back in her head and for only the third time in her life, she fainted.

"Victoria." Ramon cried out as he managed to catch his sister before she collapsed onto the floor. He felt for a pulse and he thanked god when he found it. He turned to the patrons who had risen to their feet, "Get the doctor, quickly." he ordered.

They rushed out of the tavern to get the doctor, while Ramon carefully picked Victoria up in his arms and carried her to her room, as Diego's letter fluttered unnoticed to the floor.

It was only after the doctor had examined Victoria and confirmed to a very worried Ramon that she was all right and all she needed was some rest, that he finally closed the tavern for siesta. As he turned back from locking the main doors, he noticed a piece of paper on the floor. He picked it up and saw that it was Diego's letter to his sister, and out of curiosity, he read it.

"Madre de dios." he muttered angrily as he read the letter and learnt of Diego's marriage and the reason for the unexpected wedding. "What have you done, Diego? How could you have done this to Victoria?" He shook his head, "I guess I now know what's in Francisco's letter," he muttered. He glanced up towards the bedroom where his sister was laying on her bed, devastated by the news, "Oh Victoria."

He knew that she loved Diego and she had dreamt of a second chance with him; once he returned home from his business trip for his father. He shook his head in dismay; she would never get that chance now. Nothing that could break a marriage and he knew that Diego's marriage was going to affect his dear sister in ways he could not even begin to imagine but he would be there for her, as he always would be.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N** - **This chapter deals with a serious subject.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Victoria stayed in her bed for the next two days, so traumatised by the news of Diego's marriage that no one or nothing could make her leave her room; she just stared at the wall of her bedroom. Ramon was so troubled by his sister's lack of response that he feared a relapse of her previous depression. He tried to rouse her from her despair but nothing he did worked. Even Don Alejandro had made an appearance trying to comfort her over his son's actions but she ignored him, much to the older man's dismay; he loved the young woman like a daughter and to see her like that, had distressed him.

Victoria refused to think; she didn't want to think, to think meant pain; pain that she did not want. A pain so deep, that she could not deal with it, not now, not ever. So, she retreated from that pain, retreated from life once more. A part of her knew of her brother's attempt to involve her in the running of the tavern but she wasn't interested in the business any more, it was like a burden around her neck, a burden that she no longer wanted.

And when Don Alejandro came and tried to console her, telling her that he understood what she was going through and not to give up, she just closed her eyes to block out the pain of his caring face. She didn't want his kindness, his compassion; it was too much like the other. No, she did not want anything from the man she loved as a father; he could not be that to her any more, he had a daughter now and it was not her.

Victoria woke early on the third morning with a calmness that she hadn't felt in a long time. In fact, she had never felt this peaceful. She had made a decision overnight and now, as she awkwardly dressed herself, she knew what she had to do. It was best for everyone.

Ramon knocked on Victoria's door, "Sister, are you awake?" he called out.

When he didn't receive an answer he knocked again, "Victoria." he called out. He frowned as he waited a couple of seconds and then he opened the door.

"Victoria?" he said as he stepped into the room. His frown deepened as he found an empty room. His sister hadn't left her room since they found out about Diego's marriage and he was surprised not to find her in bed.

He turned around and went down the stairs and out the back door to check to see if she had gone to use the lavatory. He called out her name once more but when he received no reply, he quickly crossed to the small structure and saw that no one was there. He began to worry as he headed back to the tavern and made a rapid search of all the rooms but he still could not find her.

As Ramon raced out to the stables to see if their horses were still in their stalls, he ran into Pilar who had come to work earlier than expected, "Pilar, you haven't come across Victoria by any chance?" he asked as he tried to keep the growing anxiety out of his voice.

Pilar shook her head, "No, why? I thought she would be still in her room."

He ran his fingers through his dark hair, "No, she's not in her room or anywhere in the tavern."

She noticed his concern and tried to console him, "She's probably just gone for a walk, I mean she has been in her room for several days and she would have needed to stretch her legs." she replied.

He nodded, "Perhaps you're right. Pilar, can you please open up this morning and get the food ready. I just want to look for her, to make sure she is alright."

She smiled, "Of course Ramon, you really are a good brother."

He managed a small smile of his own, "Thank you Pilar. I shouldn't be too long." he said as he moved to their small stables while Pilar entered the tavern.

Ramon saw that both their horses were still there and he quickly saddled their mare and walked her out of the stables. He carefully searched the ground and soon found Victoria's footprints in the damp ground; it had rained lightly overnight and the tracks were still reasonably clear. He mounted and urged the horse in the direction of her foot prints and as he followed the prints out of the pueblo and towards the coast, his anxiety started to increase with each passing minute and there was no sign of her. He didn't want to think to deeply into the possibility of Victoria doing something terrible but the closer he came to the coastal cliffs, the more frantic he became.

Then he saw her.

* * *

Victoria was standing on the high cliff overlooking the calm sea, a light breeze was blowing her hair from her face. She felt so calm, so at peace that she knew that this was the right decision. She knew everything would be all right for everyone if she wasn't here. Diego had his wife, Don Alejandro had the daughter he had always longed for and Ramon would have the tavern. Everything would be the way it should be, without her there. She raised her face to the sky, wanting to capture this serene moment forever in her heart and mind before she left it all behind.

Ramon was terrified as he dismounted his mare and stood watching her for a moment, wondering what he should do. He instinctively knew that his sister was going to take her own life and he truly did not know what to do; he simply had no experience with this. All he knew was that her death was not an option but how could he stop her?

Then he remembered a conversation that he once had with Francisco, about a soldier under his command who had committed suicide and how he had tried to help him. Francisco had tried his best to save the young man's life but nothing he had done worked and the young lancer had died. The one thing that he remembered from Francisco's conversation was that he should always try to remain calm.

So, with his brother's words in his mind, Ramon took a number of steps closer to his sister, "Victoria." he said softly. There was no reaction from her so he called her name once more, "Victoria."

Still there was no reply and that caused him even more anxiety. What if she didn't acknowledge him, let alone talk to him? What would he do then? Perhaps if he just kept talking then maybe she would answer him. He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers, took one more step towards her, and then stopped as he saw her shift away from him. He didn't want to startle her too much in case she slipped.

"Victoria, I don't understand what you are feeling." he said quietly as he tried to control his pounding heart, "But I'm here for you and I want to help." he added sincerely.

Victoria closed her eyes as she heard his sincerity, "Go away Ramon. Leave me alone." her voice trembled as the pain that she had thought had gone, began to crash through her earlier sense of peace. Why did he have to come? Why could he not just leave her alone? Everything was fine until he showed up.

He shook his head, "No Victoria, I won't leave you alone. I care about you sister, please let me help you."

She bowed her head as tears started to fall down her face, "You can't help me Ramon, no-one can." she replied.

Ramon forced himself to remain calm and not to get too frustrated with her pessimistic response. All he wanted to do was to reach out and grab her shoulders and shake her, to make her see sense but he knew that this action would probably make it worse, not better. He had never realised just how hard this was turning out to be but he wasn't going to stop now, even if he had to stay here all day, then he would.

He wiped his sweaty palms on his trousers once more, "You are not alone in this Victoria, we'll get through this together."

By now Victoria's hot tears were flowing down her face as all of her pain crashed down on her, "It hurts." she cried.

He nodded as he fought down the strong urge to pull her away from the edge, "I know it hurts Victoria, I know."

She shook her head, "No you don't! You don't understand. It's my fault, it's all my fault." she wailed.

He frowned slightly, not understanding her, "What is your fault?" he asked.

She shook her head didn't as she wrapped her arms around herself as she looked down at the calm sea and felt the pull of the surf washing over the soft sand below her.

"Victoria, please talk to me." he saw her looking down at the ocean and tried to keep the rising panic out of his voice but some of it must have came out as it made Victoria react to him once more.

Perhaps his panic reflected her own emotional turmoil but she turned to face him for the very first time since he arrived on the cliff top and she had a sudden need to talk, "It's my fault Ramon, I pushed him into the arms of another woman. I did it with my behaviour that day. If I hadn't felt so sorry for myself, I would never have pushed him away. I would have been the one he married. It's all my fault." she wailed.

His heart broke at the anguish written on her face; in fact, it was written in her whole body, so that he took a big chance. A chance that might end her life as well as his own if she fought him but he simply couldn't let his sister suffer alone with such grief without comfort. Not knowing whether if it was the right thing to do or not, he quickly moved to her side, wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her away from the edge just as her knees gave way. He gently but awkwardly lowered them both to the rocky ground.

"It's not your fault Victoria." he whispered as he pulled her close against him. His heart pounded hard in his chest at his dangerous action, he had been lucky that it had worked; one slip and it could have ended in both their deaths.

"Yes it is." she replied as she buried her head into his chest and finally released all her pent up emotions and sobbed in the safety of her brother's arms.

Ramon gently rocked her, his eyes burned with hot tears as he just held her while she grieved for what she had lost.

It took some time before Victoria settled and Ramon pulled back and gently lifted her tear stained face so he could look into her eyes, "Victoria, it is not your fault. Diego is a grown man and he makes his own decisions -"

"A decision that I forced upon him." she cried.

He had to hold back a sigh as he tried to make her see the truth, "That day in the tavern was terrible for both of you and you -"

"And I sent him away, to her." she added as a fresh wave of hot tears flowed down her face.

This time, he let out a soft sigh, "Victoria, you both needed some time apart but you didn't push him into the arms of another. Diego made his own decision to see her, he didn't have to but he did and now he has to face the consequences of that choice," he said, "Can you see that it wasn't your fault, you didn't force him to do what he did. He made it of his own free will."

She shook her head, not totally convinced, "He left Los Angeles because of me."

He nodded, "But remember, he went north because of the ranch business for Don Alejandro. He could have easily travelled south to San Diego instead."

Victoria wiped her tears away, what her brother had said was slowly making sense to her. Although her actions had caused Diego to leave Los Angeles, he had only gone north because of Don Alejandro. On top of that, she had ended their engagement, which meant that he was free to see other women and that is what he had done, he had made his own choice to visit her, but it was still painful.

"It hurts." she said quietly as she leant against him.

Ramon nodded as he pulled her close, "I know but we'll get through it together," he re-assured her, "I love you sister."

"I love you too Ramon." she replied.

For a long time brother and sister held each other, giving and receiving comfort.

"I want to sell the tavern." she said softly as she pulled back.

"What? You want to sell but why?" he was shocked; this was something he never expected for his sister loved the tavern.

"I need to sell it," she paused to gather her thoughts, "I can't stay here anymore Ramon, I don't want to face him. I don't want to see him bring his wife back to Los Angeles. It would be just too much for me. I hope you can understand that."

He nodded slowly, "I think I do but are you sure about this, I know that the tavern means a lot to you."

She nodded once more, "Si, I'm very sure." She didn't like the thought of leaving all her friends but she needed to start fresh somewhere else, a place where she didn't have daily reminders of Diego. It was time to move on, "I've had plenty of offers over the years to sell the tavern so there will be no shortage of buyers."

"Where would we go?" he asked.

"You want to come with me?" she asked back, a little surprised.

Ramon chuckled, "You're not getting rid of me that easily," he replied, "Unless you don't want me to come."

Victoria smiled softly, "Of course I want you to come, we're family after all."

He nodded, "Si, we are family." he paused as an idea came to his mind, "Perhaps we could buy another tavern somewhere else or some other small business. Maybe south into Baja California or even further towards Mexico City."

Victoria nodded, "Perhaps even north to San Francisco." she sighed again, "Ramon, I want to be gone before he gets back."

He frowned, "But it might take some time to sell the tavern."

"I know but I don't want to be here when he comes back, please Ramon." she pleaded with him.

It was Ramon's turn to sigh as he slowly rose to his feet and helped Victoria to hers, "We'll see what happens, shall we," he pulled her into a tight embrace, "No matter what happens, we'll see it out together."

Victoria felt hot tears burn her eyes at her brother's words and hugged him tight, "Si Ramon, we will work it out together."

* * *

**A/N** - **If you are suffering from depression, please seek help from your family, friends, doctors or your local Life Line services.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Three weeks later Diego finally arrived back in Los Angeles with his wife and stepdaughter. It had taken some time to settle Selena's personal affairs and to arrange a wagon in which they would travel south with her most treasured possessions. In the end, she had decided to sell her first husband's business to their loyal manager but she kept her house in Santa Barbara as an inheritance for her daughter.

Now as they approached the de la Vega hacienda for the first time, Selena became nervous as she held onto her daughter's hand, who sat between them on the wagon seat. She wasn't sure how Diego's father would treat her or the young man that Diego had adopted. She had been overwhelmed by emotion when he had told her Felipe's story and as he was telling her, she saw just how much he loved Felipe and she understand why he wanted to adopt the youth.

"Mama, I'm hungry." Marie whined.

Selena put her arm around her little girl and hugged her to her side. "It won't be long now and then we can have something to eat."

"I want to go home." she tried to squirm out of her mother's arms but Selena held her tight.

"We are going home Marie and you'll love it there. It's a big house and there's lots of horses and cattle." she tried to re-assure the little girl.

The little girl shook her head, "I want to go home." she whined.

"That's enough Marie," Selena scolded her, "I want you to behave yourself when we meet your new grandfather." she said sternly.

Marie pouted while Selena exchanged a knowing look with Diego.

He shook his head, "Well, here we are." he said as he pulled on the reins and brought the wagon to a stop on top of a small rise that showed the best view of the sprawling de la Vega hacienda.

"Oh my," Selena whispered in astonishment at the sight on her new home, "It's bigger than I remembered."

Diego smiled, "I suppose it does look different from when you were fifteen."

She laughed, "Si, it does -"

"Mama, are we going live in that big house?" Marie said with her eyes wide open.

Both Diego and Selena chuckled, "Yes Marie, we are going to live in that big house."

* * *

Don Alejandro tugged on his jacket as he saw the wagon in the distance and called out, "Felipe, they're coming! Stop hiding behind that plant and get over here." he held back a sigh as he watched Felipe walking slowly towards him. His bad mood hadn't changed over the last several weeks and he hoped that Diego would be able to talk some sense into the young man because he surely couldn't, "Whatever your problem is Felipe, you will show respect to your father's wife and to her daughter. Do you understand me?" he asked heatedly.

Felipe nodded reluctantly.

"Good, here they come." Don Alejandro said before he turned and walked through the front garden and out of the gates. He smiled warmly as Diego slowed the wagon to a stop and saw the auburn haired woman sitting beside him and a cute little girl between them. He could understand why his son had visited the lovely woman while he had been away, he mused to himself.

"Father," he said eagerly as he leapt down and rushed into his father's embrace, "I've missed you."

Don Alejandro held tight to the son he hadn't seen for almost five months, "I've missed you too son. Welcome back."

Diego nodded as he pulled back, "It's great to be home again." He turned to Felipe and pulled him into warm embrace. "Hola son, I've missed you."

Felipe hesitated before he hugged him tight.

Diego felt his hesitation and wondered at the reason for it; perhaps it was because he had been away for so long that Felipe had become a little distant with him. He pulled back and smiled warmly as he turned back to the wagon and helped his wife and stepdaughter down.

"Father, Felipe, this is Selena and her daughter Marie. Selena, you remember my father don't you?"

Selena smiled at the older man, "Si of course although it has been a long time. Buenos dias Don Alejandro." she said somewhat nervously.

Don Alejandro smiled as he held out his arms to his daughter-in-law, "It has been a long time but please call me Alejandro," he replied as he embraced her, "Welcome to our family Selena."

She hugged him back, "Thank you Alejandro," she pulled back and smiled down at her daughter, "Marie, say hello to your new grandfather."

The little girl shyly looked up at Don Alejandro, "Hola." she said softly.

Don Alejandro smiled warmly, "Hola Marie."

Diego then turned to his adopted son, "Selena, this is my son Felipe. Felipe, this is Selena and her daughter Marie."

Selena smiled at the handsome young man, "I'm pleased to meet you Felipe, your father speaks very highly of you," she said, "I hope that we can be friends." she added sincerely.

Felipe gave a quick glance at the shy little girl standing beside her mother before he gave Selena a smile and signed, which Diego interpreted for his wife, "Felipe is pleased to meet you too."

Don Alejandro gazed over the loaded wagon, "I see you have brought some pieces of furniture with you."

Selena nodded, "Si, I hope you don't mind but some of the pieces belonged to my grandmother and I didn't want to leave it behind," she said, "Diego did say that I could bring anything I wished."

Don Alejandro gave her a warm smile, "Of course you couldn't leave it behind," he replied, "We have plenty of room for you and Marie." He replied as Jose and Miguel approached them, "Ah, good. Please unload Doña Selena's belongings and put them in the rooms in the east wing."

"Si patron." both men nodded and began to unload the wagon.

Don Alejandro smiled, "Shall we go in? I'm sure you want clean up after your long trip." he asked as he offered her his arm.

Selena smiled warmly at the older man's charm as she linked her arm through his, "That would be wonderful, Alejandro." she replied, wondering why she ever thought him to be authoritarian.

Don Alejandro led the way up the path and inside the hacienda.

"Oh my, you have a lovely home." Selena said as she stopped just inside the library, holding onto her daughter's hand.

Don Alejandro smiled, "Gracias but this is your home now. You may find it a bit austere; after all it's been a home for several bachelors for some time."

She chuckled softly, "It may be a home for bachelors but it is still tastefully decorated." she replied with approval.

Don Alejandro puffed his chest out with pride, "I wanted to keep my home to the same level of excellence that my late wife had kept it." he paused as Jose and Miguel entered the hacienda with a number of Selena's belongings. He glanced at Diego for a moment, he wasn't sure if the situation had changed between them and he didn't want to ask such a personal question, "Selena, if you don't mind, I've placed you and Marie in rooms next to Diego's."

Selena felt a flush rise over her cheeks. In the three weeks since their marriage, Diego had kept his word and not demanded anything from her, "I'm sure that will be fine, thank you."

Diego nodded, "Gracias father." he said. He had written a second letter to his father just prior to their leaving, where he stated his wishes to have separate rooms for Selena. He was pleased that his father had granted him his request.

* * *

Later that afternoon Diego finally had some private time alone with his father and the older man wasn't happy, "Diego, you must know that I'm not pleased with your behaviour with Selena. I thought I had raised you better than to ruin a respectable woman's reputation like you did, frequently visiting her in her own home of all places," he said with growing anger, "Just what were you thinking?" he demanded.

Diego sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Father, please, it wasn't like that at all. Selena was a friend when I needed one." he replied, "She helped me through it."

Don Alejandro narrowed his eyes at this son, "So she was a shoulder to cry on then."

Diego nodded slowly, "I guess she was," he said, "But I never meant to bring any harm to her. Anyway, it doesn't matter now, does it? We're married." he said.

Don Alejandro glared at him, "Would you have married her if her father didn't force it?"

Diego felt a flush rise over his face, "That question has no relevance, what is done is done and I will do right by her and her daughter."

Don Alejandro snorted, "You should have thought of that before you placed her in that position."

Diego frowned at his father's continuing harassment, "I am well aware of that father and I hope that you won't hold my actions against Selena."

"Of course I won't Diego, what kind of man do you think I am?" he spluttered angrily.

Diego shook his head, "An honourable man father but you do tend to say things without thinking first," he stopped as he saw his father becoming truly angry, "Father, please. I just don't want them hurt by any innocent remark you may make."

Don Alejandro swallowed his pride as he knew that his son was right; he did have a habit of speaking without thought of the consequences, "You're right Diego, sometimes I do speak first." he paused as he gazed intently at Diego, "Do you love them son?"

Diego turned and looked out the window, "Love?" he sighed sadly. "I like Selena and I adore Marie but..." he stopped.

Don Alejandro took up the unspoken words, "You're not in love with her."

Diego didn't say anything. What was there to say? His father knew where his heart lay.

Don Alejandro gave a small sigh, he hated to see his son so sad and he didn't want to add to his burden but he had to know about Victoria and it would be better if he heard it from himself. "Diego, about Victoria..."

Diego turned quickly to face his father, "How is she father? You know that I wrote to her but I need to speak with her, to make sure she understands why."

Don Alejandro held up his hand before he placed it on Diego's shoulder, "I'm sorry son but Victoria isn't here anymore."

Diego frowned, not understanding, "What do you mean she isn't here? Has something happened to her or to Ramon?" he asked as he felt a strange panic rising within him. He couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her.

"Son, four days ago Victoria and Ramon left Los Angeles," he replied, "They sold the tavern a week ago and were going south."

Diego felt his legs buckled and leant heavily against the wall as all his dreams died at his father's news, "Why?"

Don Alejandro snorted in derision, "Did you really believe that Victoria would have stayed to see you bring home a wife? Did you think that she would be forgiving and that everything would be alright between you?" he asked.

Diego opened his mouth, and then shut it again. To his horror and shame, he realised that he never gave it any thought.

Don Alejandro sighed as he ran his fingers through his silver hair, "Diego, my son, I know it hurts but you need to know whole the truth about Victoria, you would find out soon enough anyway." he paused to take a deep breath, "Victoria had changed in the time you were away. It took time but she finally came to terms with her injury and of how she had treated everyone," he paused for a moment, "And I think that she was hoping to make amends with you when you returned home."

Diego closed his eyes against the realisation of what could have been, that he could have had a life with the woman he loved, "What have I done?"

Don Alejandro held onto his son's arm and tried to comfort him, "You weren't to know, Diego and I couldn't write to you as I didn't know where you were after you left the Garcias. I am truly sorry son." he said compassionately.

But Diego didn't want his father's compassion, his understanding. He just wanted to get away from everything, to run away from his mistakes and all but ran from the room. In his desperate rush to escape his pain, he pushed passed Selena, who was standing near the doorway with tears in her eyes.

Don Alejandro saw her turning to leave, "Selena, wait." he called out.

She turned back to face him, "I'm sorry Alejandro, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," she said, "I...I wanted to ask Diego something and you were talking about Victoria and I..." she shook her head.

He stopped in front of her, "I'm sorry you had to hear that. I should have told you together but -"

She smiled softly, "It's alright Alejandro, he needed to hear if from you, alone. That way he can be himself and not worry about my feelings."

It was in the way Selena spoke that made Don Alejandro look closer at his daughter-in-law. He saw her moist eyes, the slight flush on her face and he came to a startling discovery, "You care for my son, don't you?" he asked kindly.

Selena felt her blush deepened at his kindness, "Of course I care for him, he's my friend." she didn't really want to discuss her feelings for Diego.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. Does he know?" he asked kindly.

She shrugged, "I think that on some level he does but he loves her so very much that I'm not sure if he could ever stop loving her." she replied. Over the last three weeks, she had come to realise how much she loved Diego. She had felt something for him, from that very first time they had meet all those months ago, when she had gone to Captain Escalante's wedding with him. It had started then and it had grown stronger.

"Oh Selena, I think in time he will come to see what he has in you." he reassured her. He had only known her for a few hours but she had already won his heart over. Partly because of the way she had married his son and partly because of her feelings for Diego.

She nodded. "I hope so," she replied, "But I want you to promise me that you won't tell him. I want him to come to me of his own free will." she said firmly.

He sighed as he nodded slowly, "I don't like to keep secrets from my son but I will do as you say."

She gave him a rare warm smile, "Gracias."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Diego rushed out of the hacienda, not knowing where he was going, all he knew was that he had to get away. He stumbled out to the stables and without conscious thought, he saddled his mare and galloped off into the distance. He rode Esperanza fast and hard, taking out his anger, his hurt, and his frustrations out on his horse and when she could take no more, the loyal mare all but collapsed from sheer exhaustion at the bottom of a ravine. But that didn't stop his flight. He stumbled to his feet and began to climb the steep rock face in an effort to run from his remorse, his guilt.

As he scrambled up the side of the ravine, the sharp rocks cut into his hands but he didn't feel the pain even when he lost his footing and slid back down, tearing the fabric of his trousers on the rocky outcrop. He started again to climb a second time and managed to get further up the steep incline when he lost his footing once more. He madly groped at the rocks searching for a handhold but he cried out as he slipped again. He blindly reached out and managed to grab onto a very thick root to the left of his position, which stopped him from falling to his death. He saw a narrow ledge just above him and he slowly and carefully pulled himself up onto the ledge. He laid flat on his back, his chest heaving from his exertions.

As he slowly recovered from his madness, he began to chastise himself, "What were you thinking, Diego Sebastian de la Vega, you just can't climb the ravine without rope." he muttered aloud.

A loud squawk came from an eagle soaring high overhead, as though it was tormenting him.

"I know it was a stupid idea and I don't need you to tell me that." The eagle teased him again as he swooped low over the semi-prone figure on the rocky ledge, "Alright, it was a really stupid idea, Señor Eagle, but there's no need to rub salt in my wounds." he muttered before he cursed himself for his lack of judgement in trying to climb the ravine. He must have been insane.

He sighed as his thoughts started to dwell on the news that Victoria had sold the tavern and moved away. His father's questions burned his ears; did he really think that Victoria would have stayed because he was bringing home a wife? Did he really think that everything would be all right between, that they could go on as though nothing had happened? Perhaps he had been naive to believe that Victoria would accept his marriage and that they could still be friends. Perhaps he had been living in a fantasy world where he believed that they would live happily ever after, no matter what life threw at them.

And it could have been a happily ending if only he had come straight home instead of stopping in Santa Barbara to visit Selena. If only he had paid more attention to the gossip that he was generating with his frequent visits to her home. If he only had known that Victoria had changed from the cold, distant woman that she had become to the Victoria he loved, then he could have had it all.

If only...If only...If only.

He shifted uncomfortably as a number of small sharp rocks began to dig too deeply into his shoulder and he carefully sat up and looked around him in shock. Somehow, he had climbed most of the way up the ravine without realising it but as he stared upwards at the sheer cliff face, he wondered how he would be able to climb out; it was too steep and he couldn't see any obvious hand holds. He muttered a curse as he looked down at the way he had come; neither way was promising but as he thought about how he was going to get out of this situation, a number of small rocks rained down upon him.

He covered his head until it stopped and then he craned his neck upwards to see what had caused the rock fall and he was startled to see the concerned face of Felipe staring down at him.

"Felipe! Do you know just how glad I am to see you. Do you have rope?" he called out.

Felipe nodded as moved back to his horse, removed some rope from his saddlebag, tied it around a sturdy tree before he returned to the edge, and tossed the other end down to his father

A short time later Diego was smiling as he stood next to his son, carefully washing his dirty and bloodied hands from the water canteen that Felipe gave him before he wrapped strips of cloth around them.

But Felipe wasn't smiling, in fact, he as angry and he said so.

Diego raised an eyebrow in surprise, "What was I thinking?" he snorted, "I wasn't really thinking about much when I climbed up the ravine."

Felipe frowned and shook his head as he signed once more.

"I don't understand son, if you are not angry about me climbing then what are you angry about?"

Felipe threw his hands up in disgust and walked back to the tree to untie the rope.

Diego frowned, "Felipe, I know there is something wrong but if you don't tell me, I can't help you. Is it because I married Selena?" he asked carefully.

Felipe ignored him as he walked to his horse and placed the rope back in the saddlebag.

Diego had enough of his behaviour, "Felipe, that's enough, I will not tolerate this behaviour anymore," he said with growing frustration, "You're my son and you are old enough to know better."

Felipe glared at him and signed furiously.

Diego's frown deepened, "Wait, I don't fully understand. What do you mean that I should have been here?"

Felipe fumed at him, he had such anger inside him that he let it all out in sudden but very loud outburst, "WHERE...WERE...YOU?" he shouted at the older man.

Diego gaped at his son in astonishment, "Madre de dios, you shouted at me!" he said with a growing grin on his face.

Felipe panted as he stared at his father, his own astonishment reflected on his face. Had he actually shouted or was it just in his mind? But as he saw the startled look on Diego's face, he knew it must be true.

Diego reached out and placed his sore hands on his son's shoulders. Regardless of this amazing turn of events, there was still anger inside the younger man, "Felipe, what do you mean, where was I? Has something happened that I don't know about?"

Felipe was still in shock that he spoke and as he looked into his father's eyes, the hurt came back and he began to sign.

Diego felt a rush of guilt as he watched the pain in Felipe's eyes. It seemed to him that everything that he had done lately had caused pain to someone close to him, "You want to know why I wasn't there when the formal adoption papers arrived from our lawyers? You thought that I didn't care about you, that all I cared about was her; you mean Selena?"

Felipe nodded.

"Of course I care about you, Felipe, you are my son and nothing or no one can change that. I am sorry that I wasn't there when the adoption papers arrived," he replied, "I was hoping to be here but it took us longer than expected to get home." he shook his head, "I've made such a mess of things, haven't I? Everything I have done has been wrong."

Some of Felipe's anger disappeared at the regret and sadness in the older man's voice. He hesitantly signed.

Diego sighed, "My feelings for Victoria had no bearing on my marriage to Selena," he said, "You may not understand why I had to marry her but I had a duty towards her."

Felipe nodded and hesitantly signed once more.

Diego frowned slightly, "You're not sure what you should call Selena? You don't know whether to call her mother?" he paused as Felipe nodded, "Well, that would be something between the two of you," he replied, "But I do know that Selena would be happy either way." he added. He took a moment and gazed intently at his son, "Are you alright with everything Felipe? I know that neither one of us expected this to happen nor do I want you to be upset by all the changes that have taken place."

Felipe nodded slowly and signed.

"Si, it will take time for all of us to work it out," he paused once more as he glanced down at his torn clothes, "I think we better get home, otherwise father and Selena will begin to wonder where we are."

Felipe smiled as they mounted their horse and made their way back to the hacienda.

* * *

Later that evening, Selena was in the library gazing at the books lining the shelves when Diego walked in. She turned and smiled, "You certainly have a lot of science books."

"Yes, much to father's consternation," he replied, "He doesn't understand my interest in science."

She chuckled, "I remember when I first came here and you gave me a medical book to read. Mother was horrified. She didn't believe a fifteen year old girl should be reading such things."

He grinned, "But you seemed to be interested in it." he replied.

"I was," she said with a twinkle in her eyes, "So much so, that I hide the book under my pillow and read it when everyone had gone to bed."

Diego's eyebrow rose in surprise, "Did you really?" he asked in amusement, "I never knew that."

She laughed as a slight flush of embarrassment rose over her cheeks, "It's not something that you tell your host about. That I all but stole a book under their own roof."

He laughed with her, "Well, you don't have to do that now, you can read any book that takes your interest."

"Even the medical books?" she teased him.

"Yes, even the medical books." he replied with a teasing gleam in his blue eyes.

They laughed together like the friends that they were until Selena saw his hands, "How are your hands?" she asked concernedly as she took a step closer to him. She couldn't believe what he had tried to do and it was only luck that he hadn't killed himself. She did not intend to become a widow for a second time until she was old and grey.

He shrugged as he held out his hands for her inspection, "It's nothing."

She shook her head, "It's not just nothing, Diego," she said as she gently examined his hands, "These are serious abrasions. How have you been treating them?"

"I use a native Chumash salve to treat the cuts." he replied.

She frowned slightly, "You make your own salves?" she asked curiously.

He smiled as he withdrew his hands from hers, "As a matter of fact, I do," he said.

"Where?" she asked, "I haven't seen any place where you could make it, unless it's outside in the laundry."

Diego's smile dropped a little, "Ah...no... I don't use the laundry."

Selena picked upon her husband's hesitation and wondered at it, "Are you going to tell me, Diego, or is it some big secret." she said curiously.

He sighed; he had to tell her the truth, all of it. He couldn't start their married life with secrets; it was what kept him apart from Victoria for years and he wasn't going to do that to Selena. He owed it to his wife to be completely honest with her, "I have something to show you." he said as he turned and walked several paces to the fireplace and pressed the hidden latch.

Selena jumped slightly when the rear panel of the fireplace opened, "What on earth!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Where does that lead to?" she asked as she moved closer to the fireplace and watched the panel close shut.

"It leads to a cave that was built into the side of the hill just behind the hacienda," he replied, "It's where I do my scientific experiments and other things."

She raised an eyebrow as she gazed at him, "Other things?"

He nodded as he pressed the hidden switch once more, "Come, let me show you." he said as slipped through the open panel, leaving Selena with no choice but to follow him.

Selena walked from the stone passageway and out into a large cavern, "This is incredible," she said in an awed voice as she gazed around. She stepped down the steps and slowly walked towards the bench that held his science objects, "You have everything here, test tubes, small dishes, chemicals and is that a small microscope?" she asked in amazement.

"Yes it is but how did you know what it was or what these other things are?" he asked curiously.

She smiled as she faced him, "Although our shop dealt mostly with general merchandise, we also supplied Santa Barbara's two doctors with some of their medical items, including some strange equipment." she replied, "Roberto had a lot of contacts to get the items that our customers needed."

He nodded, "I believe that I ordered several items myself through him."

She laughed, "I wouldn't doubt that, Diego, you have a lot of things here and it's hard to get them shipped directly from Spain or even England," she replied. She turned her gazed to the bookshelf lining the far wall, "You know I could spend hours down here, reading those books or even try my hand at an experiment or two." She turned back to him, "That's if you'll let me." she said somewhat eagerly.

He smiled warmly; it felt wonderful to have someone else interested in his science experiments other than Felipe. He had never met anyone outside the medical profession, who knew or even understood his interest in science. Until now, "I would be honoured to show you." he replied with a small bow of his head.

Selena giggled as she dropped a little curtsy, "Gracias, Senor."

He chuckled and shook his head at the ease of their friendship, "As long as you don't blow up the hacienda or you will have my father to answer to." he replied.

She laughed, "I'll try not to," she replied as she gazed around once more, "But surely this isn't the big secret, is it? It's only a laboratory."

For a moment Diego was silent, "It wasn't just a laboratory," he said quietly, "It was also Zorro's lair." he admitted.

She turned back to face him with a frown on her face, "Zorro's lair? What do you mean by -" she stopped as her quick mind made the connection, "You're Zorro!"

He nodded, "Yes, I was Zorro," he replied, "But I no longer ride out as him since the change in government."

Her frowned deepened as she took a step back from him, "You're Zorro...but...but there was talk about...Zorro and a tavern girl..." she stopped and glared at him, "That was Victoria, wasn't it? It was you and Victoria, all this time and you never married her! How could you ruin her reputation like that and not marry her after all these years?"

He swallowed hard as he faced his wife's unexpected anger, "It was complicated -"

Selena snorted, "Complicated! How complicated can it be?" she asked.

"I never told her the truth until she worked it out at her brother's wedding." he replied.

She just couldn't believe it, "You never told her the truth? What kind of man are you?" she accused him, "I thought I knew you Diego, I thought I knew what kind of man I married but now I found that you are a cad who just plays with a woman's feelings, including my own." she hissed angrily before she turned and stormed up the steps.

But before she could enter the passageway, Diego grabbed arm, "Selena, listen to me," he said with his own growing anger, "I am not a cad and I certainly don't play with women's affections," he said as he released her arm. "Zorro complicated my life in ways you can't even comprehend. I had to lie to my own father for years. I had to pretend to be weak willed. I had to pretend to be someone who I wasn't. I had to accept all the insults that were thrown at me for not being a man of action and I loved a woman who only loved the Zorro side, while all but ignoring the rest of me. But I accepted all of that because if I didn't, then my identity would become known and I would be hanged and possibly my father and even Victoria as well."

Selena's anger was replaced by shock, horror over what he had gone through as Zorro. She also felt shame and a little guilty at her words. Words that had hurt him, "I'm sorry Diego," she said, "You're right, I don't know what it meant for you," she replied sincerely, "But it was a large price to pay."

He nodded, "It was a price I was willing to make," he replied, "Even now only a handful of people really know of Zorro's identity and I trust them implicitly."

"And you want to know if you can trust me with the secret," she replied softly, "Of course, I will keep the secret, Diego. Never doubt that."

He nodded, "I never doubted that. I trust you, Selena."

For a moment there was an uneasy silence between them, it had been their first argument.

Selena cleared her throat, "So, how do we get out of here?" she asked.

Diego gestured to the passageway, "There is a handle that opens the panel. Come, I'll show you." he said as he lead the way up into the passageway and back out into the library.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Victoria and Ramon arrived in San Diego four days after they had left Los Angeles with no real plan for their future; all Victoria wanted was to get away from Los Angeles as soon as possible and then decide later about what they were to do.

The sale of the tavern went faster then either of them had expected. She had received a number of offers for her profitable business from as far away as San Pedro and even Santa Barbara but she finally decided to sell her tavern to a young family just arrived in the pueblo from Mexico City, who were looking for a better life to raise their children. The moment Señor Montoya and his wife saw Victoria's tavern, they knew it was just right for them; not too big that they wouldn't be able to run it but not too small either.

Victoria negotiated with Montoya for almost a week over the cost of the tavern and being the astute businesswoman that she was, she was able to get a very good price for it. It was such a handsome price that she knew she would have no trouble setting up a new business or home somewhere else.

The day they left was very upsetting for Victoria and she barely managed to contain her emotions as she said goodbye to all her friends but most especially Pilar and Alicia, whom she hugged tightly. She could not have run the tavern without them and wished that they could come with them. But Alicia was getting married later that year while Pilar had to look after her ailing mother and as well as her younger siblings.

But it was Don Alejandro's farewell that affected her the most. He had pulled her into a fierce embrace and held her for a long time. He told her that he wished things had been different but he understood her desire to leave and that he would always be ready to help if she needed it, no matter how small or how large it might be. As he had pulled back, she saw his eyes were watery and when he had asked to her to write once they got settled, she didn't have to heart to say no to the man she loved as a father; it wasn't his fault that his son had married someone else, so she promised him that she would write. It was only when they had left the vicinity of Los Angeles, did she let go of her sadness and cried into her brother's shoulder.

* * *

"Are you sure that your friends won't mind us staying for a day or so?" Victoria asked her brother as they approached a farm on the outskirts of San Diego, in their heavily loaded wagon. They had packed all their personal belongings including several large pieces of furniture such as beds, dressers, cupboards, a table and several chairs. She had also packed her most favourite cooking pots and pans, which she simply couldn't leave behind; they were her livelihood.

Ramon shook his head and smiled, "Juan is one of my closest friends and he always said that if I ever needed a place to stay, I could stay with him and Lucille."

She didn't look very convinced, "I don't think that he would have had imagined both of us turning up with a loaded wagon though."

He chuckled as he patted her left hand, "Don't worry little sister, it'll be alright, you'll see." he said as urged their two horses in the direction of Juan's small farm.

He was worried about her, she had been silent for most of the journey from Los Angeles but it wasn't like that awful time on the cliff top almost month ago; it was a different kind of sadness. This time it was a sadness of leaving her friends behind and perhaps there was even a little fear of the unknown, of not knowing what their immediate future would be. It was a fear he was feeling as well; they were starting a brand new life with many uncertainties.

"We'll be alright Victoria, we're Escalantes after all. Nothing keeps us down for long." he said reassuringly.

She gave him a rare warm smile before she leant over and kissed his cheek, "Si, you're right Ramon, we ARE Escalantes. Let's show the world what that means." She replied with a sudden determination that she surprised herself. And she surprised Ramon too, if the look on his face was any guide.

She chuckled and shook her head, "I don't know where that came from."

He laughed with her, "You're always had it sister, it's just been lost for awhile."

She sighed as she linked her good arm through his, "I know I haven't been myself for the last month or so..."

"I understand Victoria, perhaps better than you know." he added softly.

Victoria frowned slightly, Ramon rarely talked about his own private life and she didn't even know if he had ever been in love, "Has there ever been someone you cared about?" she asked quietly.

He sighed and nodded, "About two years ago, I fell in love and I thought that she felt the same. But when I...proposed to her, she said no." he admitted.

Her heart went out to her brother, "Oh no Ramon, I am so sorry. But why?" She couldn't believe that any woman would reject her brother.

He shrugged, "I don't really know, she never gave me a good reason. I don't think she could explain it herself," he replied, "All she said was that she didn't love me enough to marry me. But what I am saying is I know what it's like to have loved and to have lost it."

She nodded as she squeezed his arm in comfort, "You'll find someone Ramon, someone who deserves your love."

He gazed at her, "I could say the same for you."

She shook her head, "I don't think I could love again."

"Maybe not right now but no-one knows what the future will be. Well, here we are." he said as he slowly pulled the horses to a stop outside a well kept farmhouse just as a woman came around from the rear of the house and smiled warmly when she saw who it was.

"Ramon! What a surprise. What brings you here?" she asked curiously, as she noticed the lovely young woman sitting beside him had only one arm.

Ramon grinned, "Lucille, it's wonderful to see you again." he replied as he leapt down from the wagon and then helped Victoria down, "This is my sister Victoria, Victoria, this is Lucille."

The two women smiled at each other, "I'm pleased to meet you Victoria," she said, "Ramon has spoken about you with much admiration for running that tavern on your own."

Victoria exchanged a teasing smile with her brother, "Has he indeed? I'm pleased to meet you too Lucille."

"Ramon!" a male voice called out from behind them.

They turned as one and watched as man walked quickly up to them with a large grin on his face.

"Juan." Ramon called out as they embraced and pounded each other on the back.

"It's been sometime youngster!" Juan teased.

Ramon chuckled, "Si it has been, old man!"

Victoria watched the two men with an amused look on her face at the teasing between friends.

Ramon turned back, "Victoria, this is Juan, a good friend of mine who has pulled me out of too many scrapes than I could count," he said with a grin, "Juan this is my sister, Victoria."

Juan turned to face the lovely woman, "If I had known that Ramon had such a beautiful sister hiding away in Los Angeles, I wouldn't have waited so long to meet you." he said with a twinkle in his brown eyes as he lifted her hand and planted a soft kiss to her skin.

Ramon snorted, "That is precisely the reason why I didn't want you to meet my sister."

Victoria smiled warmly while Lucille coughed behind her husband, who quickly dropped Victoria's hand and raised his wife's instead, "There is no-one as beautiful as you."

Lucille smiled at her husband, "And don't you forget it, Juan."

Juan chuckled as he shook his head, "So what brings you here? It looks like you are moving somewhere." he said as he looked over the fully loaded wagon.

Ramon nodded as he exchanged a glance with Victoria, "Si, Victoria has sold the tavern and we are on our way south," he replied, "Juan, you did say once that it would be alright to stay with you."

Victoria spoke up, "It will only be a day or so but we'll understand if you can't."

Juan smiled warmly at the siblings as he held up his hand, "Stop right there, of course you can both stay with us as long as you like, can't they Lucille?"

The other woman smiled warmly, "You are most welcome to stay. In fact, I would appreciate the company of another woman, to have someone else to talk with for a change."

Juan snorted, "We know what that means, don't we Ramon?"

Ramon chuckled but refused to take the bait, "I'm not getting into this one, Juan."

Juan looked insulted while the two women laughed, "You're meant to support me."

Ramon grinned and shrugged, "I've learnt never to get on a woman's bad side" he replied as he winked at his sister.

Juan chuckled, "Si, I've learnt that as well." he exchanged an understanding look with his wife, "Right, let's get your wagon into the barn and then we can get you two settled."

Ramon nodded as they slowly urged the horses towards the large barn, while the two women went inside the house.

* * *

After several days, relaxing in the wonderful company of Lucille and Juan, Victoria knew it was time to decide on their future so she went into San Diego, with Ramon, to visit the local real estate office to see what was available in terms of buying a business together. Although she didn't want to stay in the San Diego area, it was too close to Los Angeles and therefore too close to the de la Vegas, she was still willing to look over any prospects. Even if there was nothing, it would give them an idea of what the current the cost of buying a business was.

They drove into San Diego in Juan's small wagon and they promised to run some errands for their friends while they were in town.

"Are you really alright with us buying a business and not a farm?" Victoria asked worriedly.

Ramon smiled as he stopped the wagon in front of the livery stables, "Of course, I don't mind," he replied, "You were right that neither of us has had any experience in owning and running a farm and even though I've worked on one, it's different from owing it. We'll see what the estate agent has and if there's nothing, we continue onwards." he replied as he helped her down from the wagon.

They spent the next hour running errands and getting supplies from a number of stores before they made their way to the estate office on upper High Street. It was a well-known, well-respected office that had been owned and operated, first by Señor Sergio Flores and then after his death, by his son Tomas.

Tomas Flores himself greeted them when they entered his estate office. He looked up from his paperwork as he heard the door open and smiled as he saw a young couple enter his office, "Buenos dias Señor and Señora."

Victoria exchanged an amused glance with her brother, it wasn't the first time that they had been mistaken for a married couple and it probably won't be the last, "Buenos dias Señor but it's actually Senorita." she replied with a smile.

Flores bowed his head, "My apologies Senorita. How may I be of assistance to you both?" he asked with a smile.

Ramon smiled at the older man, "My sister and I have moved from Los Angeles and we are thinking of settling down in San Diego area or even further south and we were wondering if you have anything that we might be interested in."

Flores nodded, "Of course, please come this way." he gestured to them to come further inside the office where several tables and chairs were set up. "Are you looking for something in particular? A house, a farm?" he asked as he pulled out a chair for Victoria to sit, while Ramon took a seat next to her.

"Well, actually we are looking to buy a business with living quarters," she replied, "Perhaps a tavern or a guest house."

Flores nodded as he thought for a moment before he crossed over to a cabinet, "I do have several business listed for sale, not many but some...Ah here we are." he said as he pulled out a file and returned to the table. He went through the papers, "A tavern or guest house?"

Both Victoria and Ramon nodded, "Yes, that's right."

He pulled out several sheets of paper and gazed at the respectable looking brother and sister sitting before him, "I only have one tavern listed for sale at the moment. But I have to tell you that it's near the docks and it does, shall we say, have a reputation for rowdiness, which I somehow think that you wouldn't want." he smiled.

Ramon chuckled and Victoria shook her head, "No, we're looking for a good, respectable business." she confirmed.

Flores grinned, "I thought so." he glanced once more down at the papers in front of him, "Now I do have a restaurant on the lower street that is in a good position. It also has a good reputation with the patrons and it does have living rooms above it," he said, "The husband and wife are selling to move back to Mexico City to be closer to their family." he handed over the piece of paper with the details of the restaurant, including the asking price.

Ramon and Victoria were startled as they glanced over the details and saw the price; it was a little more expensive than they would have imagined.

Flores saw their startled expression, "It may seem expensive but it is a well known place and you would recover yours costs in no time," he said, "However there are other businesses for sale but not at what you are after. There's a tailors or dressmaker shop along high street...wait, I have something else." he said as he once more stood up and moved back to the cabinet.

He pulled out some more papers, "I have three houses that are large enough to be turned into a guest house." he said as he returned to the table and sat down, "I'll be honest with you, it would take some work to turn them into guest houses. But if you're willing to do that, then it should be no problem." he stated as he handed over the details to the siblings, "Why don't you take the papers away with you so you can talk it over together."

Victoria raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Can we?"

Flores smiled, "Of course, buying any kind of property is a large and important decision to make, not one to be done in haste."

Ramon shook his head and smiled, "I don't think I've ever heard of an agent being so open and honest."

Flores laughed, "True, true but as I am the owner, I want to stay in business myself and that wouldn't happen if I cheat either the buyers or the sellers."

"That's true of any business Señor Flores." Victoria said.

Flores nodded. "Yes, it is," he replied, "If you wish to visit any of the places or if you have any questions, please come and see me and I'll do my best to answer them."

Victoria and Ramon smiled as they rose from their chairs, "Gracias Señor." he said as he shook the other man's hand.

* * *

Over the next several days, the siblings discussed the various businesses that Señor Flores had given them. They paid a visit to the restaurant and immediately knew that it wasn't what they were looking for. Although the restaurant was indeed in a very good location and that they could see that it was well patronised by the large number of people eating at the many tables, Victoria felt that it was too impersonal, that all it seemed to be was about money with a large number tables to maximise the space.

Of course they could operate it with less tables but the one thing that she always loved about her tavern in Los Angeles was being able to sit and gossip with her patrons any time she liked. She didn't believe that she would be able to do that with the restaurant and Ramon agreed with her; he too liked to sit and talk with the men about politics, the weather or the price of cattle.

Then they visited the large homes that Señor Flores had suggested and while they were intrigued by the idea of turning them into guest houses, the reality was something entirely different as they realised that it would take a lot of money to convert the homes and it various rooms into guest quarters.

So, in the end they decided not to take any of the places that were on offer and returned to Señor Flores to thank him for his assistance.

Flores nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry that I couldn't help you with what you are looking for Señor Escalante," he said, "Do you have any plans now, will you go further south?" he asked.

Ramon nodded as he exchanged a look with his sister, "Si, we'll be leaving in a couple of days to go further south," he replied, "I don't suppose you know of any places that we might try?"

Flores nodded, "As a matter of fact I do," he said, "My brother also runs an estate agency down in Ensenada," he paused as he leant forward, "If you are willing to wait a week, I can write to Jose to see if he knows of any taverns or guest houses that are on sale in his area. That way if there isn't anything available, then you won't be wasting time travelling in that direction."

Victoria was stunned by this offer, "You would do this for us?"

Flores nodded, "Yes, I would" he replied, "I like giving people the opportunity of a new and hopefully better life."

Victoria and Ramon looked at each other and came to a mutual agreement, "Muchas gracias Señor, we would appreciate if you could do that for us."

Flores smiled warmly, "Excellent. I'll write to my brother today and I should hear back from him in about five or six days."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

One week later Ramon and Victoria were back in Señor Flores's office.

"Ah Senorita and Señor Escalante, I have some good news for you." the older man said with a smile.

Victoria smiled warmly, "You're heard from your brother." she assumed correctly.

Flores nodded, "Si I have and you're in luck" he looked down at the papers that his brother had sent, "Jose has sent me some information regarding two taverns that are for sale. One is further south of Ensenada and is a little of out the way of but the second one he believes is more to your needs." he replied. "It is situated in the more respectable part of town, away from the more rowdy section of the fish markets." he paused as he gazed up at their eager faces, "I have to tell you that it has only come on the market the day that Jose received my letter. So, at the time of replying to me, he hadn't checked the property himself. It is possible that it could be in need of a lot of work." he warned them.

Victoria nodded as she glanced at Ramon, "We understand Señor, please continue."

Flores nodded as he read from the paper, "The tavern itself consists of the main taproom with tables and chairs along with a bar, a large kitchen with an assortment of pots and pans and other utensils. It has fifteen guest rooms upstairs and it has separate quarters for the owners, including a living area, several bedrooms and separate bathroom and lavatory that is not accessible by either the public or the guests." he looked up at them with a smile on his face. "I have to admit that it does sound like something you would be interested in."

Ramon chuckled, "Si, I think you have our attention." he replied as he looked at his sister, who tried to keep her excitement under control.

"It does seem like something we would be interested but it all depends on the price." she said. The tavern sounded exactly what they were looking for, she mused to herself.

Flores handed over the paper to the siblings, "I believe that the cost is reasonable but as with all things, it is negotiable."

They quietly read the details and the cost of the tavern and as Señor Flores had mentioned, it was a reasonable asking price. It was a little more expensive than they had hoped but and they could always obtain a loan from the bank.

Flores saw their interest in the tavern and was pleased that he could help them, "Why don't you take a couple of days to think about it and if you are interested, there is another stagecoach leaving for Ensenada in two days time," he said, "Perhaps you could go and visit and see the place for yourselves." he suggested.

Victoria nodded, "Perhaps we shall but whatever happens, we want to thank you for all that you have done for us." she said sincerely while Ramon added his own appreciation.

"You're most welcome Senorita." Flores replied with a warm smile.

* * *

Five days later, Victoria and Ramon arrived in Ensenada de Todos los Santos by stagecoach from San Diego. They had been so enthusiastic about the tavern that they it only took them several hours to decide that they would take the time to travel south, while leaving all their belongings at Juan's, to view the business for themselves. They arrived in late afternoon, too late to do anything other than to find some cheap but comfortable lodgings.

The following morning, after a wonderful but simple breakfast, they made their way down the main street to the estate office run by Jose Flores. They entered the office and saw a well-dressed woman standing near the desk, "Buenos dias. Can I help you with anything?" she greeted them warmly.

Ramon smiled back, "Buenos dias. We would like to speak with Señor Jose Flores, if he is available, please."

"My husband is around the back at the moment. Is this to do with a property you wish to sell or buy?" Señora Flores asked kindly.

Victoria smiled, "Well my brother and I might be interested in buying in the area and we were actually recommended by Señor Tomas Flores in San Diego."

Señora Flores smiled at the siblings, "Are you Senorita and Señor Escalante by any chance?" she asked, "I know that Tomas had written to Jose about a brother and sister looking for a tavern to purchase."

Ramon nodded, "Si, that's us."

Señora Flores gestured to several chairs near a round table, "If you would like to take a seat, I'll see what is keeping my husband."

"Gracias Señora." Victoria replied as they watched her leave the office by the rear door before she sat down beside Ramon at the table.

"Remember sister, you must not show too much enthusiasm when we see the tavern." Ramon whispered a warning to her.

Victoria shot him an exasperated look, "I know that Ramon. I can haggle with the best of them without showing any excitement or disappointment." she hissed back at him.

He had the grace to look embarrassed and was about to apologise when the rear door opened and Señor Flores entered with his wife, "Ah Senorita and Señor Escalante, please forgive me for not being here to greet you personally." he said as he came towards them, with his hand outstretched. "But I had some chores to attend to."

Ramon shook his hand, "That's alright Señor, we understand."

Victoria nodded, "Its all part of running a business." she added with a smile.

Señor Flores chuckled, "Yes it is," he replied, "Before we start would you like some coffee or something else to drink? We've just heated the water ourselves not five minutes ago." he said.

The siblings nodded together, "Gracias, some coffee would be wonderful." Ramon said.

Flores smiled, "Not at all." he looked over at his wife, who smiled warmly, "I'll be right back." she said as her husband sat down at the table. "So how was your trip from San Diego?"

Victoria shook her head with a smile, "It wasn't too bad Señor, the stage only broke down once with a broken wheel."

Flores gave a small snort, "You're lucky, normally the stage has a lot more trouble between here and San Diego."

Ramon chuckled, "So I've heard." he replied just as Señora Flores returned with a tray of three steaming hot cups of coffee.

"Gracias Señora." Victoria smiled up at the older lady.

"You're welcome Senorita." she replied as she placed the cups in front of them before she returned to the rear part of the office to allow her husband some privacy with the potential buyers.

After a few more pleasantries, Señor Flores placed his coffee cup on the table and smiled at the young siblings. Tomas had been right, they had obviously come from a respectable family and they would not accept anything less than the same respect.

"So, I understand from my brother that you are interested in buying a business; a tavern or guest house." he said.

Victoria nodded, "Si that's right and your brother kindly gave us the details of a particular tavern that might meet our requirements." she replied.

"Was that the tavern with the fifteen rooms?" he asked.

Ramon nodded, "Si. Is it still up for sale?"

Flores nodded, "Yes it is." he replied as he stood up and walked a couple of paces to his desk, pulled out some papers before he returned to the table. "Since I advised Tomas about the tavern, I've had a chance to check the Vargas place out for myself." he sat down and passed over the papers to the siblings. "The structure of the building itself is sound and in very good condition, not surprising considering that Señor Vargas and his lovely wife are very proud of it."

Victoria looked up from the papers, "Why are they selling up?" she asked curiously.

"They are getting older and none of their adult children have any interest in running the business, so they want to sell and live a more simpler life." he replied. He paused as he considered the siblings; he knew that as an agent for the seller, he should do everything he can in order to obtain a buyer for his client. But he also felt an obligation to the potential buyer as well, "Senorita, Señor, I do have to tell you that there are some minor repairs that you may need to do."

Ramon frowned, "What kind of repairs?"

Flores shook his head with a smile, "Only minor ones, I assure you," he replied, "Some of the rooms may need to have a fresh coat of paint, a number of the windows in the private quarters only open a little, which a carpenter could fix in no time." he stated.

Victoria nodded thoughtfully, that was to be expected. She glanced down at the papers once more, "It says that there is indoor plumbing for some of the guest rooms; is there any problem with the pipes?" she asked. She had never dealt with inside plumbing before and wasn't sure what problems could arise from it.

Flores was beginning to notice that it was the Senorita, who seemed to be in charge and not her brother. He smiled, "No, all the plumbing is in good working condition, as is all the doors and stairs as well as the railings."

Victoria nodded once more, "That's good to know," she said, "What about staff, how many are working there?"

"Currently six. They have a cook, four serving girls who also double as maids for the rooms and a barman." he answered.

"Do they live at the tavern?" Ramon asked curiously.

Flores shook his head, "One of the girls resides there with them but I believe the others all live close by," he paused for a moment, "I can arrange for you to inspect the tavern at any time you wish, so you can see for yourself and then ask me any further questions."

Victoria exchanged a look with Ramon, who gave a slight nod in agreement, "Gracias Señor, we would like that."

"Excellent, now what do you say today just before siesta? That way you can look around without the patrons bothering you?" he suggested.

Again, Victoria exchanged a look with Ramon, who smiled, "That would be fine Señor." he said.

"Wonderful. Shall we meet back here just before siesta and I'll take you around." he offered.

Victoria smiled warmly. "Gracias Señor Flores, we'll meet you back here."

* * *

Four hours later, they meet with Señor Flores outside his office and together they walked to the tavern to review the property, at least officially. Victoria and Ramon had unofficially visited the tavern for lunch. They had felt a little guilty by the small deception but it gave them the opportunity to see the place for themselves without Señor Flores or the owners present, to see both the good and bad points of the business.

What they had seen had left a good impression with them. Victoria had gazed around the place with an experienced eye and noticed that although the main taproom was more than doubled the size of her own tavern and therefore it had more patrons, all the serving girls were polite and wore pleasant smiles as they wove between the tables serving customers their food and drinks. The menu itself was varied and reasonably priced, the meal they had ordered was delicious, and from the look of contentment on the other patron's faces, she could see that they were also enjoying their meals.

In fact, the atmosphere of the place was one of warmth and friendliness that made for happy customers, which in turn made for good business.

Now, as they began their official inspection and they saw that Señor Flores had been correct, the building itself as well as the barn were in very good condition. The guest rooms were all clean and well cared for, with the locks on the solid doors all in working order and although they could see that it could use a fresh coat of paint, it was a minor thing that they could work out later. The kitchen was large and well stocked and the private quarters, which was off the kitchen, was more than they had expected; it had four smaller rooms as well as a living area and a private indoor lavatory.

By the time the inspection had finished, Victoria and Ramon knew, without a doubt, that the tavern was what they wanted.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9 - Los Angeles

The de la Vega hacienda had settled into a routine with Selena and her daughter being warmly welcomed by her new family and the servants.

With her father-in-law's blessing, she took over the role as Mistress of his home and she found to her amazement that she actually enjoyed the role; it was similar to running the shop that her first husband had owned and her keen mind picked up the household accounts quickly, much to Don Alejandro's delight. Although he had kept the books himself after his beloved wife had died, he wanted to dedicate more time to the running of the ranch and keeping the stock records for both their cattle and their breeding horses, up to date. So, he had been pleased to hand it over to Selena.

At the same time, Felipe was studying his law books in preparation to take on a career with their lawyer Don Cristoba in Santa Barbara. The first couple of weeks, after the arrival of his stepmother and stepsister, had been unsettling for Felipe. For as long as he could remember, he had the sole attention of Diego but now, two others took up his adopted father's time. Time that would normally have been spent with him. But as the weeks passed, he slowly got over his resentment especially as his stepmother had made sure that his father spent time with him, helping him to speak again, so that he wouldn't feel left out. She had been kind and understanding and he soon began to notice that she had feelings for his father. It was this knowledge that made him lose his resentment and a friendship slowly sprung up between them.

Diego felt growing pride of his wife and stepdaughter's ability to settle into their new life with relative ease. It seemed each day he discovered something new about his wife. He already knew that she loved reading and they often discussed the merits a book or of a poem after both had read it. She also had a passion for the arts, history and anything medical; she was genuinely interested in his science experiments and in fact, he loved that she wasn't afraid to perform experiments herself, with him watching to make sure she didn't hurt herself.

He found that she had a temper to match his own, if she was provoked beyond reason. She wasn't hesitant to speak up in any conversation but she was always respected another's opinions, even if she disagreed with them and sometimes she would change her position on a subject if she was convinced of a better view. He discovered that she could play the piano very well and they had played duets together at several dinner parties they had attended since their return from Santa Barbara. Their friends had accepted Selena as his wife and he was delighted that she had been asked to join in the local caballero's wives and mothers group; which he felt was just an excuse for the ladies of the pueblo to sit around and gossip.

He knew, without a doubt, that she loved her daughter and each day, she would sit with Marie in the library and give her lessons in writing and reading, while he played chess with his father and Felipe studied his law books. It was in those quiet family times, that he began to feel contented for the first time since he came back from his studies six years before. Victoria was still in his mind, still haunting him for his mistakes but Selena and Marie were healing him in ways he never thought possible.

They were slowly and irrevocably, easing their way into his heart; a heart that had been broken, a heart that could be healed with time.

* * *

One day, two months after Diego and his family arrived home, they were all gathered in the sala just before lunch when Miguel entered with a tray with several letters, "The mail has arrived Patron." he said as he stopped in front of Don Alejandro.

"Gracias Miguel," Don Alejandro replied as he removed the letters from the tray, "Here's one for you Diego and also for you Selena."

Diego took the letters from his father and handed over Selena's to her, "Ah it's from an old university friend," he commented, "What about you Selena?"

She smiled as she opened her letter, "It's from my aunt in Mexico City," she replied, "She's probably heard the news of our marriage."

He returned her smile, "Is that good or bad?"

"I think it would be a little bit of both," she said, "What about you, Alejandro, who is your letter from?" she asked curiously.

Don Alejandro frowned slightly, "I'm not sure, I don't recognise the hand." he replied absently as he opened the letter and then quickly scanned it, "Madre de dios, it's from Victoria." he said.

Diego felt the blood rush from his face, "Victoria?" he tried to control his sudden concern, "Is she and Ramon alright?" he asked, missing the strange look from his wife.

Selena couldn't help but notice her husband's reaction to Victoria's letter and her heart dropped as she realised that he must still love her. She quickly masked her hurt but not fast enough as it turned out when Felipe gave her a small smile in support. She silently cursed herself; did you think that he would have forgotten her so soon, she mused to herself. After all, it had taken her over a year to recover from Roberto's death; she shouldn't have expected anything less for Diego and his love for Victoria.

Don Alejandro re-read the letter and smiled, "Si, they are fine," he replied, "She wanted to let us know that they have bought a tavern in Ensenada and it seems that they are doing well with the business."

Diego nodded his head as he regained control over his feelings, "Good, good. I'm glad for them." he said sincerely.

Don Alejandro nodded, "Si it is good news. I'm pleased that they have found a place -" whatever else he was going to say was drowned out by a loud banging on their front door. He frowned, "Who the devil could that be?" he asked no-one in particular.

They waited while Miguel answered the door but when they heard their head servant's raised voice, they rose and walked quickly to the entranceway.

"Please Señor, I asked you to wait here." Miguel said with growing irritation.

A rough voice answered him, "I'm not staying here while you go tell your master to hide. I'll come with you."

Don Alejandro frowned as they rounded the corner, "What is the meaning of this?" he said when he saw a tall, well dressed man standing, rather threateningly, in the front hallway of his home.

"Don Alejandro de la Vega?" the man said as took in the man's commanding presence.

Don Alejandro nodded, "Si, I'm Don Alejandro de la Vega," he replied, "What do you what?"

"My name is Rios and I have a promissory note to collect from you." he replied as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a piece of paper.

Don Alejandro exchanged a glance with his son, "A note? I don't know what you mean?"

"This note is for one thousand, five hundred pesos, signed in good faith by Don Jorge de la Rosa in your name," he said, "I expect to be paid within forty eight hours." Rios stated as he handed over the note to a confused Don Alejandro.

Selena frowned, what was this about her father? Why had he given a promissory note to this man and expected her father-in-law to pay it?

"You must be mistaken Señor Rios, I have nothing to do with de la Rosa," Don Alejandro stated firmly after he read the note, "You need to take this up with him."

Rios shook his head, "My apologies de la Vega, but the note is legal and is to be paid by you within forty eight hours or I will collect items of equal value in lieu of cash." he threatened.

Don Alejandro saw red and his temper exploded, "Get out of my home Señor," he yelled, "And don't even think about collecting this from us."

Rios grinned, "That's what they all say but in the end they pay."

Diego felt his own temper rise and he moved towards the man but his father stopped him with a hand on his arm, "No Diego, let him go," he said as he tried to contain his own anger, "You'll be hearing from our lawyers."

Rios shrugged as he walked out the door, "Makes no difference, its a legal binding note."

Diego fumed as he read the promissory note that his father had dropped, he simply couldn't believe it. The note stated in clear words of a one thousand, five hundred peso debt to be paid by the de la Vegas on behalf of Don Jorge de la Rosa. How dare he expect them to pay his debts for him! He turned to his wife, who was standing, shocked by what her father had done, "What do you know about this Selena? Did you know that your father had used us to pay his debts?" he asked harshly.

His harsh tone shook her out of her disbelief and she lost her own temper, "How dare you accuse me of such a thing, Diego de la Vega! Of course I don't know anything about this, how could I? I haven't spoken with my father since the day of our wedding, as you know well." she shouted back.

Don Alejandro saw that his son was about to retort back, stepped in to cool the hotheads, "Selena, I knew that your father gambled occasionally but I never knew that his debts were this high." he said, "But what I don't understand is why he put our name down."

Selena took a deep breath to calm herself before she shook her head, "I don't know why he did it. I know that he and his friends meet once a week for an evening of cards." she paused as she shook her head once more. "If he lost money, I never knew it and I'm not sure if mother knows it either," she said. "What are we going to do about this? I mean I will pay it myself, I have the money from the sale of the shop. I don't expect you to pay for my father's debt." she said as she picked up her whimpering daughter and tried to calm the little girl down.

Diego's temper had gone as fast as it came, "No, that money is yours, not your father's," he said, "We won't pay it otherwise -" he stopped as he looked at his father.

Don Alejandro nodded in agreement, "Otherwise he will expect us to pay all his debts in the future," he added. He ran his fingers through his silver hair, "What will we do about it?"

Diego sighed, "I will go and see him and find out why he thinks he can do this." he replied, "But in the meantime, if you can have a word with the Alcalde about this man Rios. I doubt that this is the first time that he has done this and I'm sure that he would have threatened others too."

Don Alejandro nodded, "Good idea Diego, I'll make some excuse to hold back on the payment until you return. Take the note and show it to our lawyers."

* * *

Three days later Diego arrived in Santa Barbara to pay his visit to their lawyer, Don Luis Cristoba. He decided to see Don Luis first to make certain of the legalities of the promissory note before he confronted Don Jorge about it.

"Ah Don Diego, what a pleasant surprise. I had no idea that you were in Santa Barbara," Don Luis said as he shook the younger man's hand, "Come inside, do you want some coffee or a glass of wine?"

Diego shook his head as he entered the office, "No thank you Don Luis but don't let me stop you if you want a drink."

Don Luis gazed intently at the younger man as he shut the door behind him, "I'll think I'll wait until dinner to have a glass of wine. I take it that this isn't a social call, Diego."

Diego shook his head as he sat down, "Unfortunately no, Don Luis. I need your legal advice on this." he reached into his pocket and pulled a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Don Luis asked as he placed his spectacles on his nose.

"It is a promissory note that my wife's father had written for gambling loses that he signed into our name." Diego said as he handed the paper over to him.

Don Luis raised an eyebrow in surprise, "I take it that you weren't aware of this debt?" he replied as he began to read the note.

Diego shook his head, "No we weren't. Not until an unsavoury looking man arrived at our home three days ago demanding payment," he replied, "What we need to know is how legal is this and are we, in fact, legally bound to pay it?"

Don Cristoba settled back into his chair as he re-read the note a number of times before he sighed, "This promissory note is a true and legal document, Diego -"

Diego frowned as he leant forward in the chair, "Are you saying that we have to pay it? Even though we knew nothing about it," he was incredulous by this statement, "How could that be? Wouldn't anyone be able to sign a document in someone else's name if that was the case?"

Don Luis shook his head, "No, you can't simply sign another person's name," he replied, "You would have to have proof that this person was known to you and was willing to go guarantor -"

Diego shook his head, "But we weren't willing to be guarantor to de la Rosa. We wouldn't have done it even if he had approached us," he said, "Is there nothing we can do?"

Don Luis gave the younger man a reassuring smile, "Of course there is Diego, you can lodge a formal complaint with the territorial magistrate and luckily for you, he's currently in Santa Barbara for another week dealing with all the evil necessities of his office."

Diego leant back and nodded thoughtfully, "What do you think of our chances of having this debt overturned?"

"I think the chances are excellent, considering that neither you nor your father was aware of de la Rosa's use of your good name," Don Luis replied. "But I do have to advise you that there is always a risk that you might lose and if do you so, not only will you have to pay the original debt but also any legal costs borne by the court." he warned.

Diego nodded once more, "I understand."

"Good, good. Would you like me to draw up the paperwork for the magistrate?'

"Yes, Don Luis, please start with the paperwork," Diego said, "Whatever you need me to do, I will do it and if you need a letter from my father, I'll write to him."

Don Luis stroked his beard thoughtfully, "I'll write to Don Alejandro myself, by a special courier and have him send a statement to me. We may not need it but it would be good to have it. And I'll need to take a formal statement from you Diego and witnessed in front of my assistant."

"Of course. What about this man Rios, who is demanding money from us?"

Don Luis snorted, "He is nothing but a rogue," he said, "I'll also write a letter to your Alcalde and if he continues to threaten your family, then he can hold him in a cell until this is sorted out."

Diego smiled for the first time since he arrived, "Muchas gracias Don Luis."

Don Luis smiled back, "You're welcome Diego. I'll give you just one more piece of advice, it would be prudent not to see the de la Rosa's while the proceedings are in place, it would look bad if you interfere in the legal process."

Diego sighed and nodded, "I had in mind to pay him a visit but I will take your advice." he confirmed.

"Good, good. You would be welcome to come to my home tonight for dinner," the older man suggested, "My wife would love to see you again."

Diego smiled warmly, "Gracias, I will take you up on that invitation."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 - Los Angeles

A week later Diego arrived back home.

"Father, Selena." he called out as he entered the hacienda from the side entrance and went to the library, "Where are you?"

"Diego, is that you?" Don Alejandro's voice came floating to him from deeper inside their home, "We didn't know when you will be back. How did it go, son?" he asked as he stepped into the library.

Diego smiled, "Everything has been settled," he replied, "Where is Selena?" he asked as he looked around for his wife.

"I'm here Diego." Selena replied as she came around the corner.

He turned to face her with compassion in his blue eyes, "I'm sorry Selena, that this has caused problems between you and your father." he said kindly as he walked over and took her hand in his.

She nodded as she gave him a sad smile, "Father and I have always had problems ever since I could remember," she replied, "So tell us what happened."

Diego gave her hand a quick squeeze before he turned to include his father in the conversation, "I visited Don Luis the moment I arrived in Santa Barbara and he suggested that I lodge a formal complaint against Don Jorge with the territorial magistrate, who just happened to be in town at the same time."

Don Alejandro whistled softly, "That was very lucky, otherwise you may had to wait weeks or months for the matter to be heard," he said, "So what happened?"

"The magistrate took one look at the promissory note and with our combined statements that we had no knowledge of the debt, nor did we give him permission to use our name and he immediately ruled in our favour." he paused as he squeezed Selena's hand in support. "He had some harsh words for your father, in regards to his gambling and his misuse of our name due to connections with us. Don Jorge was angry but also very worried. I don't think he believed that we would have taken this action and he was extremely lucky that the magistrate didn't fine him. He only has to pay the original debt. He has also been ordered never to use our name again, for any future debts he may incur."

Don Alejandro shook his head in disbelief, "Jorge and I had known each other for many years, done some business together. He knew what my feelings were about gambling, which was why I was so surprised that he would have put our name to his debt just because you -" he stopped suddenly as he realised what he was going to say but Selena beat him to it.

"It's alright Alejandro, we all know why he did it. It was because I married your son." she replied sadly, as she let go of Diego's hand and left them alone.

Diego shook his head as he watched her leave, "This is hurting Selena terribly."

"I don't want to add to that hurt but while you were away, I made some enquiries about Jorge and I found that he has serious debt problems." Don Alejandro said.

Diego frowned, "How serious?"

"Almost as bad as it could get, son," the older man replied, "He owes money to many people and apparently he is only just ahead of the creditors. He wins enough money at cards to keep everyone happy but a couple of times he has had to sell some of his cattle to pay the debts."

Diego shook his head in disbelief, "I don't understand how any man could live like that, especially with a family to support," he said, "Have you told Selena about this?"

"No, I haven't," Don Alejandro replied, "Knowing that her father used our good name to pay his debts was bad enough. But to know just how badly in debt her father is, would just crush her."

Diego sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "You know, father, I have always wondered why Don Jorge was so adamant in us marrying so fast," he said.

Don Alejandro frowned, he didn't like that thought at all, "Do you know what you are saying, son?" he asked.

"Unfortunately I do," Diego replied, "That the only reason he pressed for a rapid marriage was to get access to our good name as well as our money," he said as he shook his head, "I don't like it anymore than you, father, but what else can explain it. I even offered him an engagement to Selena but he dismissed it and forced a marriage within two days."

Don Alejandro sighed and shook his head, "It was all very irregular, not even having the banns read in Mass either," he said, "I guess he was so desperate to pay his debts, he didn't care who or what he did, including using his own daughter. It doesn't say much about the kind of man he is." He gazed thoughtfully at his son, "She's going to need all your support and comfort in this."

Diego nodded, "I know, father, and I will."

* * *

He found Selena standing alone, by the window of her room, with her arms wrapped around herself. He walked up to her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and he was surprised by the strength of her tremors, "I'm sorry Selena. I wish there had been some other way to deal with your father."

She shook her head as she turned to face him, hot tears welling in her eyes, "It's not your fault Diego, it's his. It's always been his fault," she replied, "Ever since I could remember, he's always been like this, wanting to control other people's lives, not wanting to take responsibility for his gambling." she moved away from him. "What I told you before, that I wasn't aware of how much debt he was in, wasn't quite true."

Diego frowned but let her continue, "When Roberto died, I went through his papers and I came across a three similar notes that father had signed into Roberto's name," she said, "They were all over different times and amounts."

"Madre de dios. How could he have done that to you?" he fumed at the injustice of her father's attitude. He just couldn't understand how a man could use his own daughter to escape his moral and legal obligations. He, himself, had been raised to believe that every man was responsible for his own actions, be it good or bad and he was beginning to see that Don Jorge was not a gentleman in the true sense of the word, "Did Roberto ever tell you about it and did he pay the debt?"

She shook her head, "No, he never told me but I found out that he had indeed paid the debt," she replied, "It wasn't a great deal, I think the largest amount was about four hundred pesos." she turned to face him but this time with anger in her eyes. "I was so angry at father for doing that to Roberto. I think father knew that he wouldn't take any action to stop him and now he is doing the same to us. How could he think that you and your father would simply just pay the debt without question," she shook her head, "I will never speak with him again, never." she stated with heated conviction even as tears welled once more in her eyes.

Diego felt such an overwhelming need to protect her that he pulled her into his arms and held her tight, "Shhh. It will be alright, Selena." he whispered softly as he planted a soft kiss to the top of her head. As he held her, giving her comfort, his subconscious mind took note of how well her soft curves seemed to mould against him, of how well they fitted together that he unconsciously tightened his hold on her.

Selena took the comfort that Diego was so willing to give as she held him tight against the hurt that her father had caused to both her husbands. She would never deal with her father again; the de la Vegas were her family now. A family where she felt love and respected; a family that she loved.

She pulled back from his warm and comforting embrace, "Thank you -" she stopped and held her breath as Diego reached out and gently caressed her face with his hand. It was the first time he had touched her like that and she didn't want to ruin the moment by speaking.

"You are family, Selena," he said somewhat hoarsely as he trailed his fingers down her cheek in a feather light touch, "My family." he added. He gazed into her eyes and saw something that he was only beginning to realise about her and that something was love. His wife loved him. And even if he was denying his growing feelings, he wasn't insensitive to hers. He leant down and gently pressed his lips against hers.

He meant it as a sign of comfort, of support but just like their first kiss, it became more.

Selena closed her eyes the moment his warm lips touched hers and she couldn't help but to move back into his arms. She had been waiting months for her husband to kiss her and now he was, it felt so right, so good that she slowly moved her arms up around his neck and returned his kiss with growing passion. His senses were overloading his better judgement as he pulled her tight against him; once again he noted just how well her soft curves fitted him, of how her sweet lips seemed to have been made just for him.

But as he began to deepen their kiss further, Marie came rushing up to their legs, knocking them off balance, "Mama, can I have a kitten?" she asked eagerly.

Diego and Selena broke apart somewhat guiltily, "What was that Marie?" she asked her daughter, her face flushed.

"Felipe showed me some kittens. Can I have one, please?" she asked again as she turned to stepfather, "Papa, can I?"

Diego cleared his throat, "It's alright with me, Marie," he replied, "But it is up to your mother to decide." he added as he held Selena's gaze and saw the flush on her cheeks. He hadn't intended to kiss her like that but it felt so natural that he couldn't stop. He wondered how far they would have gone if their daughter hadn't interrupted them. Perhaps it was good that she had interrupted them for he didn't know if he was ready for anything more.

Selena found herself becoming lost in his blue eyes; eyes that had darkened by love. Or was she only hoping that it was love. She really didn't know how he felt about her except through that kiss. His kiss was loving, tender, and was becoming more passionate until Marie interrupted them. She felt that this time, he was kissing her and not Victoria and that made her light headed. It meant that he was coming to love her, that he wanted to love her. All he needed was a little more time.

"Mama, please. Can I have a kitten?" the little girl pleaded as she tugged on her mother's skirts.

Selena smiled down at her daughter and couldn't find it in her heart to say no, "Alright, you can have a kitten," she replied, "But you must take good care of it."

Marie beamed happily, "I will, mama. I promise. Can we go and pick one now?"

Selena exchanged an amused glance with Diego, "Yes, let's go and pick out a kitten." she replied as she took her daughter's hand and together they walked out of the room. But just as she reached the door, she glanced back at her husband and for a moment the two of them held each other's gaze before Marie tugged on her hand, "Come on mama."

"I'm coming Marie." she replied as allowed her daughter to pull her out of the room.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11 - Ensenada

It was a warm, Sunday afternoon and Victoria was resting on a chair, in their small garden at the rear of the tavern, waiting for Ramon to bring her a glass of lemonade.

They had returned from Mass earlier that morning and now they were enjoying their free afternoon before the working week started once more. As she waited, she reflected on the last five months since they bought the business, a business that was thriving in terms of patrons wanting good wholesome meals but also for those wanting a clean and comfortable place to stay at a reasonable price. More often than not, they had guests every night; they were situated at a crossroads for people who were going further south but who were also travelling from overland from San Felipe on their way further north into Alta California.

It was hard work for them but it was well rewarding and to their amazement, the business was already paying their way. The final price for the tavern was more than what they had hoped but they obtained a loan from the bank and now, even after five months, they could see the day when the tavern would belong to them and not the bank.

Ramon smiled warmly as he emerged from the rear door, carrying a tray with a small jug of lemonade and several glasses. He walked over to where Victoria was sitting and placed the tray on the small table between them, "Well, here's to us." he beamed as he handed over a glass of lemonade to his sister.

She grinned as she raised her glass, "Here's to Tavern Escalante."

"I'll drink to that." he said as they clinked glasses and took a long sip of the refreshing drink, "Wonderful, I think that's your best lemonade yet sister." he complimented as he sat down.

She nodded, "I think it has to do with the good lemons that Ruben gives us," she replied, "It must be the way he grows them."

Ramon hid his smile at the mention of their neighbour, Ruben, who seemed to be a little taken with his sister. Not that he could do anything about it, not while he was caring for his invalid father, "True, he does have the best lemons around." he replied as he settled back on the seat and gazed at the tavern, "Did you think we could have done this so fast? That we could pay off the mortgage by next year?"

She shook her head, "No, not really. Not when the size of this place is more than double than what we had in Los Angeles but we couldn't have done it without our people," she said, "In fact, I've been thinking that we might increase their wages a little, to show our appreciation of their work."

He nodded thoughtfully, "I think that might be a good idea," he said, "It will keep them here with us and not move to other places. It's hard to get good workers who actually like the work. What do you have in mind?"

She shrugged, "I'm not sure. I was thinking an extra two pesos a week for Celia, Juanita, Reina and Mercedes and maybe three for Rosenda," she suggested, "And since you took over the bar when Ricardo left, we can afford to pay extra."

Ramon nodded, "I agree but do you think three pesos extra would be enough for Rosenda, I mean she has to deal with you in the kitchen and I seem to recall that the two of you had a number of differences." he teased.

"Oh why you..." she huffed as she looked around for something to throw at her brother but couldn't find anything, "You know that Rosenda and I respect each other more now that she knows that I'm not going to take over all of the cooking. That I only wanted to do some of my specialities," she replied, "Besides we need a cook, I couldn't do it all by myself even if I had two good arms."

He held up his hands in mock surrender, "Alright alright, you've convinced me," he said with a grin, "I'm just glad that the two of you are getting along better now."

Victoria looked contrite, "I'm sorry I didn't mean to carry on like that."

He chuckled, "I guess I shouldn't have teased you about her."

She smiled, "You guess?" she teased before she took another sip of her drink. "So Ramon, how's your romance with Abigail Cruz going?" she asked and was surprised to see a pink tinge to her brother's ears.

"She doesn't know I exist." he confided as he gazed down at his drink. He had first seen Senorita Abigail Cruz at the markets over a month ago and he couldn't take his eyes off her. She was slender, tall, had dark brown hair and her eyes were hazel in colour and she had such a warm and genuine smile as she bargained with the stallholders, that it took his breath away. He had silently cursed himself for not introducing himself at the time; he was a grown man but she had left him tongue tied like a teenage boy with his first crush.

Victoria snorted, "Nonsense. I saw her looking at you during Mass this morning and believe me, she knows that you exist," she replied, "I understand that she will be attending the dance next Saturday and it would be the perfect place to meet her. Perhaps even have a dance with her." she added innocently.

But Ramon wasn't buying her innocence, "What have you done Victoria?"

She returned his look with one of her own, "I've done nothing, I just heard in passing that she will be at the dance that's all," she said, "Ramon, it's obvious that you are interested in her so this will be a good place for you to know her better." she paused as a thought crossed her mind. "You might even find that she isn't the one for you, but it's better than not knowing."

He knew that she was right, it would be better to know than to not know. He shook his head and smiled, "I can't believe I'm taking advice of the heart from my younger sister."

She chuckled, "And I can't believe that I'm giving it."

He laughed, "Who knows Victoria, you may even meet someone yourself at the dance."

It was Victoria's turn to look away, "I don't think so Ramon."

Ramon could have kicked himself with his comment but he went ahead anyway. "Sister, it's been what, six months since Diego was married, don't you think it might be time -"

"Was six months long enough for you when the woman you loved turned you down?" she replied harshly.

He blinked at her tone, "I...I…well no it wasn't," he said, "But what was right for me may not be right for you. Look Victoria, I didn't mean to say that you should marry right now, what I meant was for you to enjoy yourself at the dance."

Victoria took a deep breath to cool her anger and knew that he was right. It would be nice to go the dance and have some fun, to enjoy herself, "I'm sorry Ramon. It's just that it's hard to...imagine...being with someone else."

He smiled as he reached over and squeezed her hand, "I understand," he said, "Only you can say when or if you want to see someone." he suddenly snorted. "Just look at us, both feeling sorry for ourselves, thinking that we're the only ones who have ever had a broken heart."

She smiled back, "Then perhaps we should stop feeling sorry for ourselves, forget about romance and just enjoy the coming dance."

He chuckled, "Si, I think we should at that."

Just then, they heard the side gate open and their neighbour stepped through, "Hola Victoria, Ramon."

Victoria smiled, "Hola Ruben, how's your father?" she asked kindly.

Ruben gave her a small smile, "He's doing alright today but he has been asking after you, Victoria, I think he misses your company." and so do I, he added silently as he looked at the beautiful senorita sitting before him. He knew he was attracted to her, almost from the time the siblings bought the tavern but he had noticed a sadness about her as though she had suffered a great loss. It was something he had felt himself after losing his wife.

"Well then, I'll just have to pay a visit to him. Perhaps I could bring over some broth for him." she replied as she looked at Ruben. He had been so kind to them when they first moved into the tavern. He had helped with the small repairs and helped with painting of a number of rooms, and even providing them with lemons from his small orchard, all without taking payment. And when they discovered his father was an invalid, she and Ramon had taken in turns to visit the elderly gentleman to cheer him up.

Ruben's eyes lit up with delight, he had never met anyone who could cook like Victoria and of course, any time spent with her was special, "Muchas gracias Victoria that would be wonderful," he replied, "Father always finishes anything you cook. Whereas my cooking, well...lets just say that I often have left over food for the following day." he added with a grin.

Victoria smiled, "I'm glad that he enjoys it."

"Would you like some lemonade, Ruben? It was made fresh this morning from your own lemons." Ramon asked with a smile as he watched Ruben watching his sister. Oh there was definitely something there, he mused to himself.

Ruben shook his head, "Thank you, no, I'm on my way to see the padre," he replied, "I didn't have a chance to go to Mass this morning but perhaps another time."

"Of course. I always make a fresh batch each day and you're always welcome to come and have some." Victoria said with a warm smile.

Ruben smiled back, "I might just take you up on that tempting offer but I must be going. Adios."

"Adios Ruben." they said together as they watched him return through the gate and heard him walk down the side passage.

Victoria turned her gazed to her brother and found a thoughtful look on his face, "What are you thinking about?"

He shrugged, "It can't be easy for him looking after his sick father," he replied, "Ruben's a young man and he should be out doing what young men do."

She raised her eyebrow, "Oh tell me wise one, what do young men do."

He grinned, "Do you really want an answer to that?"

She chuckled, "Probably not. Besides he's not that young."

So his sister had noticed him after all, at least enough to try to guess his age, "He can't be more than thirty-five at most," he said, "That's not exactly old considering that you're twenty-six."

Victoria scowled at him, "There's no need to bring MY age up," she replied, "You'll be turning thirty in two years yourself, don't forget."

He chuckled as he shook his head, "Somehow I don't think you will let me forget." he paused as he drained his drink. "I wonder if Ruben will go to the dance. It would do him some good to out of the sick room." he said.

She nodded thoughtfully and she silently agreed with her brother. The dance would certainly cheer Ruben up if only for a couple of hours but she knew it would depend on his father.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 - Ensenada

A week later, the siblings arrived at the town hall for the dance and were amazed by the number of people in attendance. At seemed as though all the citizens of Ensenada were there and to the delight of Victoria and Ramon, everyone had taken the effort to dress in their best clothes. The men wore their most formal suits, while the women wore dresses in various styles and colours. Victoria herself had a new dress and Ramon had a new suit of dark brown.

As they walked into the large hall, they were both stunned by how beautiful the place had been decorated by the elder señoras of the town. There were colourful streamers draped along the walls and hanging from the rafters and with the two large chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the numerous candelabras placed around the room, it created a lively atmosphere for everyone. The band was already playing and many couples were dancing, while others stood in groups talking or moving towards the area set aside for drinks; wine for the men and fruit juices for the ladies.

"This is wonderful." She said softly as they gazed around, smiling to people they knew.

Ramon nodded, "Si it is," he replied as he bowed to his sister and grinned, "May I have the honour of this dance Senorita Escalante."

Victoria beamed, "Of course Señor Escalante." she said but then she frowned as a thought crossed her mind.

"What is it Victoria?" he asked worriedly

She shrugged, "I guess I never really thought about how I would dance now," she replied, "I mean a man usually holds a woman's right hand when dancing."

He thought for a moment before he took her left hand and led her out onto the dance area.

"Ramon, what are you doing?"

He smiled, "Dancing with my sister." he replied as he held her in the normal position, "Let's not worry about it," he said, "I don't really need to hold your right hand, I can just leave my arm by my side or I can rest my hand at your waist."

It was a little awkwardly at first but they soon worked out the positions, "Oh Ramon this is wonderful, gracias." she beamed as they danced,

He grinned, "You're most welcome." he replied as he twirled her around, pleased to see her happy, "You know, now that you know how to dance with one arm, I'll wager that you won't be spending all night dancing with your brother."

She chuckled, "Who said I was going to spend my time with you anyway?" she teased. The band picked up the tempo and they quickly eased into the familiar dance steps that they had learnt as children, "Besides, you make a very handsome, very dashing figure that you might make a few conquests of your own tonight, perhaps with your Senorita."

He felt his ears burn at her teasing, "She may not come." he said uncertainly.

"Nonsense, she'll be here, promise me that you will ask her to dance. Promise." she squeezed him to emphasis her point.

Ramon had a feeling that if he didn't promise, he would never hear the end of it, "Alright, I promise."

She smiled, "Good because she's just walked in."

"What...where?" he stuttered as he craned his neck in an effort to see Senorita Cruz.

Victoria grinned at her brother's reaction, "I believe she's gone over to the refreshments table." she replied as the music came to an end and they stopped on the edge of the floor, "Go and introduce yourself, Ramon and then ask her for a dance before someone else has the same idea." she urged him.

"You know what, I think I will." he replied as he straightened his jacket. He took a deep breath and walked with a determined stride towards the drinks stand but his step faulted when he saw a tall officer from the local garrison approach Senorita Cruz. He continued towards her and as he stopped beside them, he was disgusted to realise that the officer was a little worse for drink. There was excuse for the soldier to be affected by drink, so early in the evening, especially one who was still in uniform.

"So Senorita Cruz, I'll take that dance that you promised me." The officer leered at the beautiful woman in front of him.

Senorita Cruz smiled politely, if somewhat warily, at the officer, "Gracias, Lieutenant Perez but unfortunately I don't know the steps of this dance. Perhaps later."

Lieutenant Perez grinned, "That doesn't matter, I'll show you the steps." he made to grab her hand but stopped when he heard a voice behind him.

"I believe that the Senorita doesn't want to dance with you." Ramon spoke up.

Perez turned around and snorted as he saw a shorter man standing beside him, "You obviously don't know who you are speaking too, little man." he said with derision in his voice, "Otherwise you wouldn't be interfering in a private conversation."

Ramon narrowed his eyes, "And it is obvious that you don't know how to behave towards a lady, otherwise you would have accepted her decision and moved on."

Perez frowned as he pulled himself to his full height and looked menacingly at the other man, "I demand an apology now, or I will demand satisfaction." he hissed as he swayed slightly on his feet.

Senorita Cruz watched the situation between the two men deteriorate before her eyes, "Stop it both of you, I am not a prize to be fought over." she said heatedly.

"Is everything alright, Abigail?" a male voice came from behind them.

They all turned and were startled to see their Alcalde standing there with a frown on his face. A frown that deepened when he saw how inebriated his officer was, "Lieutenant Perez, you will remove yourself from the premises and return to the cuartel. I'll deal with you later." he ordered in a deceptively soft voice but his eyes reflected his fury.

Lieutenant Perez saluted his commanding officer and as he turned to leave, he swayed once more but he somehow managed to stay on his feet and therefore he kept what dignity he had left before he strode away.

Alcalde Valdez shook his head and turned his attention back to the young people before him, "My dear, I hope that he didn't trouble you too much."

Abigail smiled warmly, "No uncle, Señor Escalante was being a true gentleman."

Ramon was startled; not only was she the niece of their Alcalde but she also knew his name.

Valdez turned to the young man, "You have my appreciation, Señor Escalante, for coming to my niece's aid."

Ramon smiled as he glanced at the beautiful woman in front of him, "It was my honour, Alcalde and if I may say so, my pleasure." he said gallantly.

Valdez hid his smile as he saw the blush creep over his niece's face at the young man's words; he had never before seen that reaction from her, "Well, enjoy the dance you two." he said warmly as he looked between them and shook his head; romance was a wonderful thing, he mused to himself as he walked away.

There was a moment of awkwardness between them before Abigail smiled, "I really do appreciate you helping me Señor Escalante."

Ramon's heart pounded as he saw the warmth in her hazel eyes, "You're most welcome Senorita Cruz," he paused as he took a chance, "May I have the honour of this dance?"

Abigail's warm smile simply melted his heart as she replied, "I though you would never ask Señor."

He beamed as he led her out to the dance floor and took her into his arms, "Senorita Cruz, I have a question." he said at they moved in time to the music.

"Ask away." she replied.

"How do you know my name? I mean we haven't been introduced." he asked somewhat hesitantly.

"That's my secret, Señor Escalante." Her gentle laughter was music to his ears.

His eyes lit up with the hidden challenge in her words, "It's a secret that I plan to uncover." he promised.

"I hope you do." she replied softly as she gazed into his kind brown eyes.

Ramon felt as though he was dancing on air as he twirled his Abigail around the dance floor. It just felt so right to have her in his arms and he knew then that he was falling in love with her. He never believed in that old saying about love at first sight but now that it was happening, he couldn't deny it. He didn't want to deny it and never did she as she held him close, closer than was necessary.

Victoria was standing near the refreshment table when she saw Ramon dancing with Abigail. She beamed with happiness, pleased that her brother had taken the chance and asked her to dance and as she watched, she noticed what a good looking couple they made.

"They certainly look well together, don't they?" came an amused male voice from behind her.

She turned and smiled, "Ruben, you came. I'm so glad you made it." she said happily.

Ruben smiled back, "Father all but ordered me out but I can only stay awhile, I can't leave him alone for too long."

Victoria nodded, "Then you better make the most of it and have a dance with me." she stopped suddenly as she realised what she had just said. She felt a blush rise over her cheeks at her boldness.

He chuckled at her embarrassment and loved her even more for it, "Isn't that suppose to be my question?" he teased her. He bowed slightly and gazed intently into her brown eyes, "May I have the honour of this dance Senorita Escalante?" he asked as he held out his hand.

She bit her lower lip to keep from giggling, she couldn't believe that she had done that, "Of course Señor Ortega." she replied as she took his hand and allow him to lead her to the floor and soon they were dancing as though they had been partners for years.

Ruben's heart pounded fast in his chest as he held her for the first time in his arms and he gave himself over to the enjoyment of the moment. He forgot about his sick father, he forgot about the small orchard they owned. He forgot about the pain of his losing his wife and simply lived for the dance.

Victoria couldn't help but notice the change that came over Ruben as they danced. She saw his happiness of being at the dance, she saw how it gave him a sense of peace in his life; a peace that she hadn't seen before. She knew it wasn't easy caring for an invalid father and she was pleased that he had taken time away for himself and strangely, she found herself wanting to make sure that he had enjoyed this night; she wanted to help her friend to forget everything else and just have fun.

* * *

Later that night, after the dance had ended, Victoria and Ramon walked back to their tavern with Ruben. He had stayed longer than he had planned but he simply enjoyed the dance too much to return home. He knew that enjoyment came from the lady walking beside him, she had kept him by her side, not letting him go and he couldn't refuse her. And from what he could see, she was enjoying herself as much as he was.

Victoria didn't need to ask how her brother had enjoyed the night, he could barely keep the large grin off his face, which kept her smiling too. She was pleased that everything seemed to be going well for him. In fact, she smiled at both the men walking beside her, they had both enjoyed this night just as much as she did. So, as they chatted excitedly on the way home, she felt a wonderful contentment that she hadn't felt in a long time.

As they arrived at the tavern, Ramon walked a couple of paces ahead to unlock the side door, while Ruben and Victoria stayed back to say goodnight.

"I had a wonderful night, I'm glad you made me stay longer, Victoria." Ruben said.

She smiled warmly, "You needed to enjoy yourself for awhile."

He smiled back, "And I did." he replied. Then he did something that she wasn't expecting. He reached out for her hand and raised it to his lips for a soft kiss, "Goodnight Victoria" he said softly before he released her hand and turned into the gate of his home.

She blushed furiously as she whispered a soft, "Goodnight" but he had already gone.

He had never kissed her hand before and she wondered what it meant. She knew that it had been an exciting night with all the dancing and that perhaps he was still caught up with the excitement of the evening, she mused to herself as she turned down the path where her brother was waiting. She simply refused to think that it was anything other than a thank you for a wonderful evening away from his ailing father.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13 - Los Angeles

Diego woke from a deep sleep, feeling wonderfully contented and sated. He turned over and smiled warmly as he raised himself up on his elbow and gazed down at the woman asleep beside him, the sheet just covering her bare breasts and he began to feel the now familiar hot stirring in his loins. It had been six months since their enforced wedding and they had finally consummated their marriage in a wave of desire but most importantly, love.

As his gaze fell upon her hand with the gold ring he had bought on the morning on their wedding, he came to the stunning realisation that he loved his wife. It was something he never really expected to happen again.

His love for Selena had slowly grown over the last six months until it burst into passion the night before. He had been thrilled that her passions matched his own and it drove him to such heights of pleasure he had never before experienced. If Selena had noticed his lack of experience where lovemaking was concerned, she never showed it, as they joyously discovered each other in the ways of lovers the world over.

As he continued watching her sleep, he thought back to the day before, when he finally opened his eyes to his feelings and his longings, for his wife.

* * *

It was Don Alejandro's fifty-eight birthday and they were holding a small dinner party with their closest friends to celebrate the event. Selena had been busy organising the menu for the party with their cook, Maria, for the last week but on the afternoon of the big day, there had been chaos in the kitchen. The wonderful dishes that Maria had prepared had spoiled; the oven was not hot enough for the food to be thoroughly cooked.

Maria was embarrassed and upset that she had let down her Mistress, especially on the Don Alejandro's birthday and she steeled herself to be dismissed by Doña Selena, but Selena refused to even consider it; knowing that it was just one of those things that happens. They made a quick trip into the pueblo and luckily for them, it was market day. They bought what they needed and returned back to the hacienda and between Selena, Maria and Consuela, they managed to start the menu from scratch and they all breathed a sigh of relief when everything turned out all right.

But now Selena was taking some time to herself before the party began as she washed in a warm, rose scented bath in the small bathroom off her own room. She was pleased that the earlier chaos had been resolved and now she could concentrate on the coming dinner and prayed that nothing else would go wrong. She wanted to give her father-in-law a wonderful birthday to thank him for welcoming her and her daughter into his family without reservations.

He was nothing at all like her own father, which she was most grateful. She had not written to her parents since that terrible day when her father had demanded money from the de la Vegas nor they had not written to her; it was as though they had cut all ties with each other. She sighed as she sank further down and raised her bare legs out of the water and onto the edge of the bath.

Diego was in a quandary. He was with his stepdaughter and she was angrily pouting at him, all because he wouldn't let her wear the dress she had on; not because it wasn't suitable but because it hadn't been pressed. She had grabbed her dress from the laundry without anyone noticing and had dressed herself, wrinkles and all. He tried to reason with her, that he just wanted to get the wrinkles out of her dress and then he would give it back but to her mind, she believed that he wouldn't give it back.

He didn't know what to do except to find Selena and get her to deal with her wayward daughter, "Selena." he called out as he left Marie's room. Why was it harder to look after a girl than a boy, he mused to himself.

"In here Diego." came her muffled reply from inside her own room.

He crossed the hallway and entered her room and when he didn't see her, he crossed over to the half closed door that led to her bathroom. In his haste to find her, he didn't stop to think why she would be in the bathroom and he simply opened the door wider.

"Selena, your daughter -" he stopped short when he saw his wife reclining in her bath. Naked. His eyes widened at the sight of her bare legs that were resting on the edge of the porcelain bath and although she had her arms resting over her upper chest, he still saw the gentle curves of her breasts. He stared for several moments before he felt his face burn red as he stumbled backwards mumbling an embarrassed apology, "I...sorry...I didn't...think" he stuttered.

"Diego, it's alright." she called out as she sat up, a little embarrassed at being caught in her bath but at the same time she felt a rush of feminine pride at his reaction to her, "What about Marie?"

Diego squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to block the sight of Selena's nakedness but it wasn't working; he couldn't shake the image of her long bare legs and her soft curves from his mind, "I...well...it's her dress" he mumbled.

She shook her head, "What? I can't hear you." she replied as she climbed out of the bath and grabbed a towel from the small table.

He swallowed hard as he heard the gentle splash of water and he clinched his fist to fight against the image that particular sound was creating in his mind.

"Now what's this about Marie?" Selena asked behind him.

He turned and felt his blood pressure rise at the sight of Selena wrapped in a large white towel. He couldn't stop his eyes from slowly wandering from her creamy bare shoulders, down her slender form, which was hidden under the towel, her long legs and finally to her bare feet and the drops of water that was slowly pooling on the floor. It was the most erotic sight he had seen and he had to shift slightly to ease the slight pressure of his suddenly tight trousers.

"Diego." Selena said with a small secretive smile teasing the corners of her lips. She knew full well what the effect that she was having on her husband and she felt her own heart pound faster in a strange anticipation of what might happen. Perhaps she should have thought of this sooner, she mused to herself, perhaps if she had, they might have had a proper marriage by now.

He nervously cleared his throat, embarrassed at being caught staring at her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to." his voice crackled.

She smiled as she reached out and touched his arm, thrilled by the tremor she felt. She was pleased that he was affected by her, just as much as she was affected by him, "It's alright, I think you have more right to stare at me than any other man." and do more than just stare, she wanted to add but she didn't, "So what's this about Marie?" she asked.

He took a deep breath to settle his nerves, "Her dress, it hasn't been pressed but she is wearing it anyway. I tried to explain that it needs to be pressed but...well she…" he stopped and shrugged.

She grinned as she tightened the towel around her body, "You mean she's being stubborn."

To Diego's own surprise, he chuckled; how could he laugh while she was standing all but naked before him? "Stubborn isn't what I would call it" he replied.

She chuckled and shook her head, "Alright, I'll see to her but let me get dress first."

Diego dropped his eyes to gaze over her body once more before he mumbled something she didn't hear and left her room. He strode across the hallway, entered his own rooms, closed the door behind him, and took several deep breaths to calm his beating heart, amongst other things. While his body slowly recovered, his mind was not so obliging, the delicious image of her in the bath stayed in his mind, which in turn made his body betray him once more. He shook his head as he half stumbled over to his wash basin and splashed water on his hot face in an effort to cool his unruly thoughts.

He never even imagined that she was taking a bath when he entered her room; all he wanted was for her to help Marie with her dress but to see her like that was totally unexpected. He had just stood there and stared at her. He just stared. He felt the heat rise over his face again as the image of her in the bath and then he snorted derisively, of course he stared, what man would not stare at his wife, naked in the bath. In fact, he wanted to do more than stare.

That thought startled him more than anything else, as he sat on the edge of his bed. He couldn't deny what his body was telling him and it was telling him that Selena was a desirable woman, a woman that he obviously wanted. But was it just lust? Or was it something else? Could it be love? He knew that love didn't always matter in regards to the physical act itself, but did that mean he loved Selena?

He knew of her love for him and even since their interrupted kiss, several months ago, he had been more attentive to her. He took her on picnics, sometimes with Marie, sometimes it was just the two of them. He had been more willing to open his heart to her, and Selena had responded by showing him more of her love. Now, as he looked back to that interrupted kiss, he realised it had been the beginning of a courtship between them. Over the last couple of months, he had unknowingly courted his own wife.

What about Victoria, did he still love her? He hadn't seen Victoria since that day in the tavern ten months ago and although his father and Victoria had exchanged a number of letters, they had not kept in touch themselves. He sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair, he knew that a part of him would always love Victoria but he could no longer deny his attraction and his growing love for Selena.

It took some time before his thoughts were calm enough and he readied himself for the dinner party.

During dinner, Diego tried to keep his attention focused the conversation going on around him; it was his father's birthday after all but every time he heard Selena's voice or her laughter, THAT image rose in his mind. With all the strength of mind that kept him through the years as Zorro, he forced his body not to react to the memory by reciting the list of thirty-three chemical elements that Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier published in 1789. The recital worked to cool his ardour and he was able to concentrate for the rest of the party.

Later that night, he was walking down the hallway to his rooms when Selena's voice called out from her room, "Diego, is that you?"

He stepped over to the doorway, "Yes, unless you were expecting someone else." he replied.

She chuckled, "No, no one else. I just need some help." she replied, "I'm stuck."

He swallowed hard as he saw her standing in her underclothes, "What seems to be the problem?" he asked as he crossed over to her just as the vision of her naked in the bath, flashed before his eyes.

"I was brushing my hair and somehow it got caught in my corset." she replied.

"Let me see." he said as he moved behind her and with trembling fingers, he began to untangle her long hair from where it had become caught in the laces of her corset. "How did you manage to do this?" he asked, his voice sounding hoarse to his ears.

"I really don't know." she replied softly as her heart pounded in her chest.

Diego finished untangling her hair, "All done." he said hoarsely as he rested his hands on her shoulders. And when the image of her reclining in her bath came to the forefront of his mind, he didn't fight it. He didn't want to fight it any more; he needed her, he wanted her.

"Stay with me tonight." she said softly and was pleased by his intake of breath at her suggestion. She turned around and placed her hands on his broad chest, "We've been married for six months and I think it's time for us to truly become husband and wife," she said softly.

He swallowed hard as he reached out and caressed her face, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, "Very sure," she replied as she slowly moved her hands up his chest and around his neck, "Make love to me." she whispered, her lips inches from his.

Diego groaned as he gave in to his needs, to her needs. He pulled her tight against him and claimed her lips in a deep and passionate kiss.

* * *

A soft feminine voice brought his thoughts back to the present, "You're looking rather pleased with yourself." she commented with amusement in her voice.

Diego returned his gaze to Selena's face, "Am I?" he replied with a warm smile.

She smiled back, "Oh yes, you look like Marie's kitten after he's had a bowl of milk." she teased him.

He chuckled, "Do I indeed."

"Yes you do," she said as she raised herself up on her elbow and placed her hand on his bare chest, "You don't regret this do you?" she asked a little worriedly.

"Dios, of course not, Selena," he confirmed as he placed his hand over hers and raised it to his lips for a gentle kiss, "Do you?"

She shook her head, "No. I'm glad that we did." she paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, "Diego, I want to share every part of our lives together including this but I will understand if you are not ready -" she stopped when he gently placed two fingers against her lips.

"Believe me when I tell you, I want this too," he replied softly with love shining from his blue eyes. He gently brushed several strands of hair off her face. "If you had asked me months ago, I don't think I would have wanted it but now, it's different."

"Different, how?" she held her breath.

He trailed his fingertips lightly over her neck and down her bare shoulder, pleased by her small shiver, "I've always known that you've had feelings for me, that you love me but I know now that I love you too, Selena." he gave her a crooked smile. "I know it's customary to say that after what we've just done but I've come to realise that from sharing our life together over the last six months, sharing in the good and bad times that my love for you has grown."

She felt hot tears welling in her eyes at hearing him say those words, words she had waited so patiently to hear, "Oh Diego, I love you too." she replied as she leant over and tenderly kissed him.

For several moments they kissed each other before he pulled back, "I have a confession to make." he said with a gleam in his eyes as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Oh, what would that be?"

"I had a crush on you when you were fifteen." he admitted.

She giggled, "I know." she said.

"You knew?" he raised his eyebrows in surprise, "How?"

"Girls always know when a boy is interested in them," she replied, "Besides I had a small crush on you too." she confessed.

Diego chuckled as he leant over and claimed her lips in a loving kiss, "Did you really?"

She nodded, "Yes, I did."

He sighed as he trailed his fingers over her bare shoulders, "I'm sorry that's it's taken me some time to realise what you mean to me -"

"Shhh," she interrupted as she gently placed her finger against his lips, "It's alright. You needed time, we both did. We had to let go of the past, so that we could live for the present."

"And the future," he added softly as he leant over and planted a lingering kiss to her forehead, "I want that future with you and Marie and Felipe," he tenderly kissed her soft inviting lips, "And any future children we may have."

"Children! You would like a child?" she was a little surprised for they had never talked about children before.

He began to nuzzle her neck, "Si, I would like a child," he raised his head and gazed worriedly into her eyes, "Unless you don't want one?"

She gave him a dazzling smile that melted his heart, "Isn't it a bit late to think about that." she teased.

He chuckled as he lowered his hand to her stomach, "Hmm, yes it's like closing the gate after the horses have gone."

She laughed, "Well, I wouldn't exactly phrase it like that but yes, I could be pregnant even now," she replied, "I do want another child or two or even three," she kissed his lips tenderly. "You know, it sometimes takes more that once." she teased him as she slowly ran her fingertips over his bare chest.

"So I've heard," he replied with a grin as he started to roll her onto her back, "Perhaps we should try again and see what happens." he added before he captured his lips in a deep and hungry kiss, which she returned with growing need as they discovered each other once more.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14 - Ensenada

"No…no…I can't no…yes Sergeant…I've got the guns...no…no…don't." came the delirious voice of Señor Alberto Ortega.

"Shhh Father, it's alright." Ruben sort to re-assure his father as the older man struggled with his fever. He had caught a bad cold several days ago and developed a chest infection, which was turning into a more serious problem. Pneumonia.

"No…no…don't…Adora…where's Adora?" Alberto's voice rose in agitation and he tried to fight against his son.

"Shhh Father. Mother is no longer with us, remember." Ruben whispered as he fought back tears; his father had forgotten his wife had died ten years ago.

"How is he?" a soft, compassionate, feminine voice came from behind him.

Ruben turned as saw Victoria entering the room and left out a sad sigh, "Not so good Victoria," he replied as he turned his attention to his father, saw that he had quietened down a little, "He keeps calling for mother but he doesn't remember that she died ten years ago."

"Oh no, I'm sorry," she said compassionately, "What does the doctor say?" she asked softly as she came further into the room.

He shook his head wearily, "He isn't sure that father will pull through this time. He's been ill for a long time and he is so weak that..." he stopped as he once more fought back tears.

She pulled over a chair, sat down next to him, and placed a comforting hand on his arm.

He grabbed as though it was a life line as he continued, "I've always known that he would die soon but now it's so real, it's just hard to accept it." he paused for a moment and took a deep breath. "I wish you had known him before, Victoria, he was such a powerful man, not just physically but he had such a presence that everyone listened to him no matter what their station in life. And now, now he's just a shell of a man." his voice crackled with his sadness. "He served his country as a soldier and he had the respect of his men under him as well as the officers. In fact, he could have become an officer but then he met and married my mother and he became a farmer. But now look at him, he didn't deserve this."

Victoria felt tears bubble in her eyes as she let him talk; she knew that it helped him to cope with his father's illness and impeding death. She was shocked by how frail the older man had become in the last two months since the dance and she knew that he wasn't long for this world.

"I'm sorry for going on like that." Ruben said as he surreptitiously wiped his face.

She squeezed his hand in support, "I wish had known him, he sounds like a wonderful and courageous man."

He nodded, "He still is," he paused as he turned to face her, "Can I ask you to stay with me for awhile. If you're not too busy with the tavern, that is."

She gave him a small smile, "Of course I'll stay with you. In fact I brought over some soup for you."

He returned her smile with one of his own, "You didn't have to do that."

She nodded, "I know but you're my friend," she replied, "Besides when was the last time you had something to eat?"

He shrugged, "I don't recall -" he stopped as his father moaned. He reached out and gently wiped the older man's forehead with damp cloth.

Victoria saw that his attention was on his father and she quietly left the room to go to the kitchen where she had left a small pot of soup. She searched the cupboards and soon found where Ruben kept his plates and bowls. She removed a small bowl from the shelf and spooned the soup out before she carefully picked it up and slowly walked back to the sick room.

As she entered the bedroom and carefully placed the bowl of soup on the small table, she heard the older man muttering in his delirium, "She left you...must go after her..."

"Shhh, father, don't worry about it." Ruben tried to soothe his father.

"Your wife...should not have left...must go after her…bring her back."

Victoria frowned slightly, what did he mean by that? Was Ruben's wife still alive? She had the impression that his wife had died but what if she had left him. Perhaps it was just the delirium talking; she knew that people said all sorts of things when they were trying to fight off a fever.

"I could not go, father, she did not want me." his voice crackled with the strain of the conversation with his father. It had a painful time for him and he didn't want to relive it again. He gave a soft sigh as his father finally stopped his mutterings and he sank back into the chair, his eyes closed as he tried to fight against his pain.

"Have some soup Ruben, you need your strength." Victoria said softly, kindly.

He opened his eyes and looked woefully at the bowl of soup on the table, "I can't." he muttered.

"Yes you can," she replied firmly, "Or do you want me to feed you myself."

He looked surprised at her forceful words and then he gave her a small smile, "You would, wouldn't you?"

She smiled back, "Unless you don't want to find out, then I suggest that you have the soup." she gently teased him.

He chuckled as he picked up the bowl from the table, "I think I will have some then."

She nodded, "Good." she replied as she sat down on the chair beside him.

For several moments, he ate in companionable silence but he could no longer hold back, he knew that she had heard what his father had said and she needed to know the truth, no matter how hard it would be. He placed the now empty bowl back on the table behind him and sighed, "Thank you for not asking, Victoria."

It took a moment for her to realise what he meant, "Is your wife...?"

He sighed once more as he ran his fingers through his black hair, "I know that you believe that my wife is dead, that's what I've told everyone but the fact is, she's alive and living in France."

"Not dead but...how...why?" she stammered. She was shocked that Ruben was still married and his wife was living in France. She felt a strange pain tug at her heart at the knowledge that he had a living wife. She didn't understand why she would feel that, it's not as though Ruben meant more her than friendship. Perhaps it was because she always hated to see anyone in pain, which she definitely knew that he was feeling.

Ruben gazed at the woman he loved but was afraid of this very reaction of his marriage. A marriage that was no longer valid. Afraid that she would shy away from him because of the stigma of having a living wife, of being a divorced man, "Victoria, she's been dead to me for a long time," he paused to gather his thoughts, "She left me eight years ago to be with another man." he admitted quietly.

"Madre de dios," she explained in shock, "I'm so sorry Ruben, it must have been terrible for you." she said, How could any woman leave a man like Ruben, she asked herself, he was such a good, honest and kind man.

He nodded as he began to tell her about his wife; of how they had met and fallen in love or what he thought was love. He described how after two years of marriage she had run away with another man, of how he had come home one day and found a note from her, telling him that she was leaving him. He told Victoria of his heartbreak and his anger at what his wife had done. He told her of his battle with the Church authorities to dissolve his marriage and after five long years, the Church had finally granted him an annulment due to the abandonment of his wife. He told of how he and his father came to Ensenada three years ago, where they bought a small orchard, along with the house in town, to start a new life.

And then Ruben found himself telling Victoria something that no one else knew, not even his father. He couldn't believe how open and honest he was as he told her of the absolute despair, of how totally ashamed and embarrassed he was by his wife's leaving, that he had taken his pistol, loaded it, put it to his head and pulled the trigger. However, it failed to go off for some reason that he couldn't understand and in the end he came to realise that it must have been a sign from the Almighty. That his life wasn't mean to end, that He had kept him alive for a purpose that he didn't know.

Victoria felt humbled that he had trusted her so completely that he told her something so personal as his attempted suicide and his courage in speaking out made her feel emboldened to tell him about her life. She told him about Diego, of their love for each other; although she did not reveal the secret of Zorro, that secret she would carry to her grave. She told him about the time of her eldest brother's wedding and how she came to lose her arm. She told him of her change in behaviour, which had caused her to break their engagement, and of the heartbreak of the terrible fight in the tavern and of Diego's leaving.

She told him of how she slowly came to realise that her behaviour had ruined her, had made her a hard and bitter woman and once she knew that, she began to accept what had happened to her and she began to hope, to dream of getting back with Diego. But her dreams had been shattered when she received that letter from him, saying that he was married, not because he had fallen in love but because he had bought disgrace upon a respectable woman.

Victoria then found herself quietly telling him about her own attempt at suicide, of how she believed that everything would be all right if only she wasn't there anymore and of how Ramon had stopped her, of how he had helped her.

By the time she had finished her story, she was crying into his shoulder. Ruben had placed an arm around her and pulled her close, his own eyes none to dry, as he gave her comfort. He felt an overwhelming need to protect her; she was such a strong woman. But at the same time, there was a vulnerability to her that tugged at his heart. She was the only one who understood what he had gone through, and he with her.

Victoria raised her head from his shoulder and with a trembling hand, wiped the tears from her face. She couldn't believe that she had completely opened her heart to Ruben but it just felt right to do so. She felt so at ease with him, so comfortable around him that it felt natural to talk to him about her life. He understood her as no one else could, not even Ramon fully understood what she went through.

He gave her hand a squeeze, "You and I make quite a pair don't we? But with all our pain, we have survived by having something to live for." he said softly as he lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. He knew it would a mistake to kiss her when they were both so vulnerable but he wanted to give her some reassurance that everything was going to be fine, that she wasn't alone anymore. What he hadn't expected was her response.

The feel of Ruben's lips on hers startled Victoria; she hadn't been expecting it and therefore she had simply accepted the gesture but then something changed. Perhaps it was the warmth of his lips, or the gentle and undemanding pressure or maybe because it had been a long time since she was last kissed but whatever it was, it felt good. So good that she began to respond, she began to kiss him back.

Ruben was surprised as she returned his kiss, he never thought that she would but he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak. They spent the next couple of moments kissing each other, which soon threatened to become much more than gentle caresses, but before it could, Ruben's father cried out as his fever took over once more. He reluctantly but necessarily pulled back from those wonderful soft lips of hers and gently caressed her face with his fingers before he turned his attention back to this father, more to give them a chance to recover than to care for his father.

Victoria felt her face burn red as she lowered her gaze, what had gotten into him? More importantly, what had gotten into her? She never thought about Ruben in that way before and certainly never believed that he would kiss her, let alone for her to return that kiss with one of her own. Yet when she felt his lips on hers, she couldn't help but respond to his gentleness, his tenderness.

Suddenly she felt it was more than a simple kiss as she realised just how caring his kiss was; he had kissed her with reverence, a reverence that not even Diego had shown with his own heated kisses.

She held back a gasp of understanding as she lifted her gaze to the man sitting beside her and knew, at that exact moment, that Ruben Ortega loved her, that he was in love with her. She sat stunned by this knowledge, a knowledge that left her feeling numb. She didn't know what to think, let alone feel but one thing she did know, was that their friendship was going to change in ways she couldn't begin to imagine.

* * *

A/N - I don't know if the Catholic church would actually allow an annulment for desertion but I needed it for Ruben. I just didn't want his wife to have died but to have run off with another man and for him to keep it a secret from everyone.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N - this is for Miss Anly who wanted some more of Diego / Selena / Alejandro :) I realised that I did need an extra chapter here, so it just goes to show that reviews do help, even if you don't know it at the time :)

* * *

Chapter 15 - Los Angeles

Don Alejandro smiled proudly as he sat on Dulcinea, watching Diego and Felipe mending the fence to their bull's paddock, with their head vaquero, Jose. As he watched from the small rise, he saw them all laugh at something and he felt another rush of pride at how well respected Diego was; Diego had their ranch hand's respect and they had his. He knew that when the time came to hand it over to Diego, he was leaving the ranch in good and very capable hands.

Lately, he had been feeling tired and sometimes he would get a slight pain in his chest, if he overexerted himself too much and because of that, he was gradually handing over more responsibility of the ranch to his son and to his gratitude, Diego was willing to take on the extra work without question. Running a ranch as large as theirs was a young man's game and Diego was more than capable of the job.

His son had grown over the last ten months since he married Selena; grown in maturity. He had long accepted his fate to be married to Selena and he had found peace in his life. He knew that most of that acceptance, that peace came from Selena and her little daughter themselves. She had realised long before he had, that Diego needed time to accept his marriage without any pressure from her because of her feelings. And she had been right, he mused to himself, Diego needed to see for himself the kind of woman he was married to and not forced into it.

Over the nine months since they arrived back at the hacienda, he had noticed the gradual change in Diego's feelings towards his wife, of how he was slowly falling in love with Selena. Therefore, it came as no real surprise to him, when Selena finally moved into his son's room. Even if he hadn't known about her move, he couldn't help but notice the change in their relationship. It was in their happiness, the little touches they shared, the looks that spoke of love and of a smouldering desire for each other. He was pleased that after all this time; his son had found love once more.

He, himself, had known the love of two good women, his first love, Mercedes Sanchez, and secondly, his beloved wife, Felicidad. Both lost to him now but he had no regrets in his life and he hoped that Diego would one day feel the same.

His thoughts came back to the present when he noticed Diego looking in his direction and he urged Dulcinea towards them. He smiled as he reached them, "Well, that should keep Hercules in his paddock." he remarked.

Diego grinned, "Or at least for awhile." he replied as he turned to his son, "Felipe repaired the fence on his own, this time."

"Well done, Felipe. You did a better job of it than my first time mending a fence." Don Alejandro said.

Felipe grinned, "Is that why you joined the army because you couldn't fix a fence." he teased the older man.

Diego smothered a laugh behind a cough while his father gazed down at the younger man, "Hmmm, I think I liked you better when you couldn't speak." he replied with a teasing gleam in his eyes. Ever since Diego came home, he had worked hard with Felipe to teach the younger man to speak once more and now, after all the frustrations of not speaking for most of his life, Felipe was all but fluent in his speech. And with his speech, came his cheekiness, which wasn't apparent through his signs.

Felipe and Diego chuckled as they mounted their horses while Jose grinned broadly at the teasing.

Don Alejandro turned to Jose, "So, Jose, we should be ready for the next cattle round up in a couple of months."

Jose nodded, "Oh si, Patron. Everything will be ready." he replied as he climbed up into the wagon.

"Excellent," Don Alejandro replied with a slap to his thigh, "This round up will be one of our largest in a couple of years and it's important that everything goes smoothly." he said as they urged their horses back towards the hacienda and Jose followed them in the wagon.

Diego nodded, "And a profitable one too, with the current high prices for beef."

"That's true." Don Alejandro replied, "The prices have almost doubled in the last two years." he added. He rode for a moment in silence, not sure if he should say anything or not but he was concerned about his daughter-in-law, "Diego, is Selena alright? She hasn't been herself for awhile."

Diego sighed and nodded, "She say's she fine, just tired," he replied, "But lately she's been sick."

Don Alejandro cocked his head, "Sick, as in physically ill?" he asked with a small knowing smile tugging on the corner of his lips. His Felicidad had been ill in the early months of her pregnancy, perhaps it was the same with Selena, "Is it usually in the mornings?"

Diego nodded, "Well, yes it is. How did you know -" he stopped when he saw, in the distance, a familiar carriage leaving the front of their home, "Isn't that Doctor Hernandez's carriage?" he frowned with worry.

Don Alejandro gazed into the distance, "Yes, I believe it is."

Diego's worried frown deepened, "Selena." he muttered before he urged Esparanza into a canter towards the hacienda.

He reached the hacienda, leapt off his mare and rushed inside, "Selena." he called out as he stepped through the front door.

Selena was sitting the library, "I'm here, Diego." she replied.

He strode over to where she was sitting and crouched in front of her, "Are you alright? Where is Marie? I just saw Doctor Hernandez leave." he said as he swept his gaze over her, seeing no obvious signs of distress. In fact, he noticed that other than a slight flush to her cheeks, she seemed strangely excited and happy.

She smiled reassuringly, "Marie's sleeping in her room," she replied, "I'm fine, more than fine, in fact." she added mysteriously.

He frowned, "More than fine. I don't understand."

"I think you better sit. I have something to tell you." she said with a warm smile.

"So, there is something wrong." he said as he sat beside her and took her hand in his.

To his surprise, she chuckled, "Diego, don't be so worried," she replied, "Doctor Hernandez was on his way home when I asked him to come inside. He confirmed something that I already knew but I needed to be sure before I told you," she paused as she gazed at her husband with love shining in her eyes, "I'm going to have a baby."

Diego just stared at his wife, unsure of what he heard, "A...baby?"

Selena nodded, "Yes, I'm having a baby." she replied with a beaming smile.

A slow smile grew over his face, "A baby. I'm going to be a father?"

She nodded once more, "Yes, we're going to be parents." she said as she felt tears well in her eyes at the large silly grin on his face.

"A baby!" he said once more as he pulled her into a tight embrace, "Dios, that's wonderful. More than wonderful." he said as he pulled back and caressed her face, "I love you Selena."

"I love you too Diego." she replied before he claimed her lips in a quick but passionate kiss.

"How far along?" he asked as he gently placed his hand on her still flat stomach, half expecting to feel their child within her.

She placed her hand over his, "Not far, about three months." she replied.

He grinned and pulled her back into an embrace as the front door opened.

"Diego...Selena?" Don Alejandro called out as he and Felipe entered the grand home.

"In here, father." Diego answered.

Don Alejandro moved to the library and the first thing he saw was large silly grins on both their faces. He didn't need to ask if anything was wrong, "Out with it, you two." he commented as he felt a smile growing himself.

Diego stood up and helped his wife up, "Father, Felipe, we are going to have a baby!" he said, unable to keep the silly grin off his face.

Don Alejandro, "Oh Diego, Selena, that is just wonderful news, just wonderful." he beamed happily as he pulled his son into his arms and pounded him on his back, "I'm so thrilled for you both." he added.

"Thank you, father." Diego said as he hugged his father.

Don Alejandro pulled back to embrace his daughter-in-law, "A baby is just what this hacienda needs. It needs to be filled with lots of babies."

Selena chuckled, "I'll do my best, Alejandro." she replied.

"I'm sure you will," he replied as he pulled back, "I've waited a long time to see my son happily married to a woman he loves and to have a family of his own. And he found that with you, Selena."

She felt hot tears burn her eyes, "And I found that with him too." she said quietly as she hugged her father-in-law once more, "You raised a good and kind man, Alejandro."

Don Alejandro swallowed hard as he hugged her tight, "Thank you."

Diego turned to his son and saw the stunned looked on the younger man's face, "So, son, you will soon have another sibling."

Felipe shook his head and grinned as he hugged his father, "A sibling that will be twenty years younger than me." he replied.

Diego grinned, "That's true enough," he said as he hugged his son of his heart before he pulled back, "This won't change anything between us, Felipe. You will always be my son, no matter what." he reassured the young man.

Felipe grinned, "I know but just don't expect me to change him or her."

Diego laughed, "I would not dream of it, not after you used my study of Archimedes as a diaper."

Felipe shook his head, "You are never going to let me forget that, are you?"

"Not at all -"

"This calls for a celebration," Don Alejandro said as he and Selena joined Diego and Felipe, "To celebrate the coming addition to the de la Vega family," he added as he slung his arm around his son's shoulders, "It's not everyday that I become a grandfather again." he said with a large grin on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N - warning, death of a major character.

* * *

Chapter 16

Victoria and Ramon were in San Diego to buy extra supplies for their business. It had been a year since they bought the tavern and they were planning to extend their private quarters by adding two more rooms. After a five month whirlwind courtship, Ramon became engaged to Abigail and they needed the extra rooms for the time when she moved in with him after their wedding.

It was something they never really discussed; what would happen to the tavern when one or both of them married? Who would live where? Who would look after the place? And if Victoria married, would her husband become part owner of the tavern since the current law stated that any property the wife owned, automatically became the husband's or would they have an agreement that the tavern would always remain in Victoria's and Ramon's name?

But right at that moment, Victoria was sitting quietly in the small garden of the guest house where they were staying. She had just heard some terrible news and she was trying to hold back on her tears; she just didn't want to believe it.

Ramon entered the garden, "Ah there you are, I was wondering where you were." he smiled but as he walked up to her, his smile fell away and replaced by a worried frown. "Victoria what's wrong? Has something happened?" he asked worriedly as he sat down beside his sister.

Victoria turned her teary eyes to her brother, "Oh Ramon, it's Don Alejandro de la Vega, he's died." she whimpered as the tears that she had previously held back, began to flow down her face.

He gasped in shock as he pulled her close, "What! Are you sure? How do you know?" he asked in disbelief.

She nodded, "I heard it from Miguel, the stagecoach driver between Monterey and San Diego," she replied, "He told me that Don Alejandro died five days ago, apparently it was his heart and it was so sudden that no-one knew that he was ill. Oh Ramon, he was like a father to me" she wailed as she gave into her grief and sobbed into her brother's arms.

Ramon felt hot tears well in his eyes as he comforted his sister. He always had great respect for Diego's father and he knew Victoria had loved the older man and of how he loved her like the daughter he never had.

It took a long time before Victoria recovered from her sorrow; she owed so much to Don Alejandro. Not only because he had loved her like a daughter, he also supported her when her brothers and her father left Los Angeles, he had convinced the community to allow her to run the tavern even though she was a young girl. She knew that she wouldn't have been able to do it without his support.

She raised her head from Ramon's shoulder and wiped her face, "I need to go." she said.

He frowned, "Go? You mean go to Los Angeles?"

She nodded, "Si, I need to go to Los Angeles and pay my respects."

He shook his head, "I don't think that would be a good idea Victoria."

It was Victoria's turn to frown, "Why not? Don Alejandro meant a lot to me." she replied a little heatedly.

"I know that," he paused as he saw that she was about to interrupt but he didn't let her, "Victoria, I just don't think it's wise, I mean you would be meeting with Diego and his wife and I'm just worried that it could bring back a lot of bad feelings."

She shook her head, "I will be alright, Ramon." she replied.

He gazed at her, not fully understanding why she wanted to go. Why did she want to push this, it seemed to him that she had finally put the past behind her and was enjoying life once more. Why would she want to change this? It could only bring her unnecessary pain, "You know that nothing will change the fact that Diego is married, no matter how much you may want it. And it's entirely possible that they might have had a child by now." he said carefully.

"A child?" she said as she stood up and walked several paces around the small enclosure.

"They have been married for a year or so now," he paused as he watched her, "Do you think that they would not have...well you know what I mean...not after all this time." he said.

She bowed her head and closed her eyes. She knew Ramon was right; Diego was a passionate man who had desires and needs like any other man.

"I don't understand why you need to go. You've made a new life for yourself, you're happy and contented for the first time in a long time. And there is Ruben, you know how much he cares for you and I believe that you feel the same towards him."

Victoria sighed as she turned to face him, "I know." she said softly. It had been months since Ruben's father had died, months since that kiss and although neither one of them had talked about what happened, their friendship had deepened, "I don't expect you to understand -"

"Do you understand?" he interrupted her.

She shrugged, "All I know is that I have to go."

Ramon gazed intently at her, knowing that there was nothing he could do or say that would change her mind, "Alright then, there's a stage going north tomorrow and we'll be on it. We can leave the supplies with Juan. I'm sure he won't mind."

Victoria shook her head, "No Ramon, I need to go on my own."

He frowned, "But -"

"No, I must go on my own. I need to do this myself." she stated resolutely.

Ramon saw her determination and gave a small sigh of resignation, "Alright, alright. I just hope you know what you are doing little sister."

She nodded, "So do I."

* * *

Victoria sat anxiously in the stagecoach as it approached the de la Vega hacienda. Now that she was here, she was having second thoughts about coming back to Los Angeles after everything that had happened. It had been so easy to decide while she was in San Diego but now the reality of what she was doing, hit her. Did she really want to see Diego again? Did she even want to see his wife, the woman who had taken her place? Could she cope with the knowledge of a child? A child that should have been hers.

And then there was Diego. How would he feel about her turning up like this? How would he react? Would he even want to see her, especially when they were in mourning? Should she have waited until the initial mourning period was over before she visited them?

But then it was too late as the driver pulled the stage to a stop on the dusty road outside the sprawling hacienda, "Here you are Senorita Escalante." he said as he reached over and retrieved her bags before he climbed down and opened the door for her.

Victoria pulled herself together and smile warmly, "Gracious Miguel." she said as he helped her out of the stage.

Miguel smiled back, "You're welcome." he replied as he climbed back up into his seat and urged the horses onwards.

As the stage moved passed her, she turned and faced the beautiful hacienda for the first time in over a year. Somehow she had expected the grand home to have changed but it looked the same. Perhaps she was the one that had changed; she mused to herself as she picked up her bag and took a step forward just as Felipe come around the corner, wearing a black mourning suit.

Felipe saw her almost at the same time as she saw him and with a startled but pleased smile he crossed over to her, "Senorita Escalante." he said as he stopped in front of her.

Victoria smiled at hearing his voice, "Felipe, I am so thrilled that you can speak. Your grandfather wrote to me about it." she said. She was pleased that he could finally speak after all this time and it seemed as though his ability to speak had given him a confidence that he never had before; he had grown up in the last year or so since she had last seen him. "How long has it been now?"

He smiled, "About a year. I've been practising each day," he paused for a moment then continued quietly, sadly. "Do you know...?" he stopped, he simply couldn't say it aloud, he didn't want to say for it would mean that he had to accept it, something that he wasn't ready to do. He wasn't ready to grieve for his grandfather.

Victoria lost her happiness as she remembered her reason for her visit, "Si I know. I'm so sorry, Felipe." was all she said.

His eyes misted over and he tried to hide his grief by picking up her bag as a distraction, "Please come inside." his voice wavered slightly.

She shook her head as she had a sudden attack of nerves, "No...I...Felipe, I don't want to disturb...I'll just visit the..." she stuttered as she motioned towards the small family cemetery that was nestled under a large tree on the left hand side of the hacienda.

He followed her gaze and knew what she meant; she had been close to his grandfather, "I understand. I'll take your bags inside."

She gave him a small smile, "Gracias Felipe." she replied as she turned and walked in the direction of the cemetery, picking wild flowers as she went.

When she reached the small enclosure, she entered through the gate and paused at each the graves to read the names on the headstones until she came to the newest grave. Hot tears started to fall as she read the name on the headstone.

_Alejandro Esteban de la Vega. Born 2nd April 1765. Madrid Spain. Died 19th November 1823._

"Oh Alejandro," She whispered as she knelt down and placed the flowers on his grave, "I wish I could thank you for all that you had done for me. Not only of the support you gave me when I took over the tavern but of how you would always help me with anything, no matter how small or how silly my problems were." she paused as she wiped away her tears. "You became more to me than just a friend of papa's, you became like a second father to me. I love you Alejandro and I will miss you so very much." she bowed her head and said a silent prayer.

Diego slowly approached the family cemetery with a great deal of sadness; he was still grieving for his father and would be for a long time to come. As he watched Victoria with her prayers, he gazed over her form to see what the last sixteen months had done, if anything, to her. Except for the tailored sleeve of her jacket, she looked the same.

Victoria finished her prayers and felt a presence nearby and turned her head, "Diego." she whispered as she gazed upon the man who had captured her heart so long ago.

He gave her a small smile, "Hola Victoria, here let me help you." he said as he reached out his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Gracias." she replied and for a moment they gazed at each other, "I'm so sorry about your father, Diego." she said softly, compassionately as she squeezed his hand in comfort before letting go.

He felt his eyes burn with hot tears as he nodded his head, "I...thank you. It was so...unexpected...I never thought that he..." he cleared his throat as he led them out of the cemetery. "He was such a large part of my life...it's...hard...to accept what happened." he stuttered.

She nodded, "I know," she paused for a moment as they walked in the direction towards the stream that ran nearby; a stream that she and her brothers had spent a number of hot summer days dangling their feet in the cool water, "How did it happen?" she asked softly.

He let out a sad sigh.

"I'm sorry, you don't need to tell me if you don't want to." she said.

Diego shook his head as they reached the stream and sat on the rocks beneath the trees, letting the coolness of the place wash over them, "We were out rounding up the cattle, it was to be our largest round up for years but it was a hot, dry day. It was too hot actually and we were...becoming angry, frustrated and I...wanted father to stop...to have a rest. But you know what he was like, he wouldn't stop if there was work to be done. And then...and then..." he stopped as he fought back a surge of grief that threatened to overwhelm him once more.

He felt Victoria's hand on his arm as he continued, "I saw father...grab...at his chest and then...the next thing...he was...on the ground. By the time I got to him...it was too...late." he stopped as his grief overpowered him and he buried his face in his hands.

Victoria put her arm around his trembling shoulders and awkwardly pulled him into her embrace as her own hot tears flowed. They held each other for some time, giving and receiving comfort for the loss of the man they had both loved.

He pulled back from her comforting embrace somewhat embarrassed by his outburst; he thought that he was coming to terms with his father's death and had grieved with Selena and Felipe but now he had cried again with Victoria, "I'm sorry."

"Diego, you're grieving," she replied, her own voice hoarse, "I cried on and off for weeks when mama and then papa died. I would be fine for a while and then something would remind me of them and I would cry all over again. It will just take time" she consoled him.

He nodded, "I know," he paused as he ran his fingers through his dark hair, "I want to thank you for coming all this way from Ensenada -" he stopped and frowned, "But you couldn't have heard about father so soon." he said confused. His father had died only nine days ago, not long enough for Victoria to hear about it but to travel back to Los Angeles.

She gave him a small smile, "Ramon and I were in San Diego when we heard," she replied, "I came on the next stage."

"I see. So how is Ramon?" he asked.

This time Victoria's smile widened, "Ramon has just become engaged."

Diego smiled back, "Really! That is wonderful news. Please pass on my congratulations to him."

"I will."

There was an awkward silence between as neither one knew what to say.

Diego let out a sigh, "I should apologise to you."

She frowned, "For what?"

"For what happened with Selena, for the mess that I made of our lives." he replied.

Victoria shook her head, "It wasn't all your fault Diego, I mean I was the one that ended our engagement." she confirmed softly. "I need to apologise to you, I treated you terribly from the time I lost my arm. I ignored you, turned my back on you and our friendship. To this day, I still don't understand why I did that to you, to us, to all my friends. It was as though a madness had swept over me and it didn't let go until that horrible day in the tavern." her voice quivered with the shame of her actions. "Ramon told me a few home truths that day and it hurt to hear him say it but he was right, I had been pushing everyone away, especially you."

He saw that she had changed since the last time he had seen her and there seemed to be a more mature air about her. She had obviously accepted what had happened and was moving on with her life, "I won't deny that I wasn't hurt by what happened but I was coming back to Los Angeles -" he stopped. He couldn't say it, wouldn't say it; there was no point bringing up past hopes, past dreams, it would do neither of them any good to dwell on what might have been.

She heard the 'coming back to you' in his words and her heart sank with the knowledge that they would have started over again when he came back from his business trip in Monterey, "What happened with her, with Selena?" she asked quietly.

"You received my letter didn't you?" he saw her nod and continued. "I don't know what to say. I guess at that time I wanted to see a friendly face after the months that I had been away, so I stopped in Santa Barbara to visit Selena and her daughter," he said before he turned to face her, "I never meant to make her the centre of malicious gossip. She is a good friend and I was enjoying her company so I didn't think to clearly about her reputation but the damage was done and I had to...marry her in order to protect her name."

Victoria nodded as she gazed away across to the hacienda, "I understand." she stopped to gather her thoughts. She wanted to ask him a question but at the same time, she didn't want to know the answer. She took a breath, "Are you happy with Selena?" she asked quietly.

Diego paused for a moment; he sensed that this was a very important question for Victoria. It was as though she had decisions of her own to make. "Yes, I'm happy with Selena." he replied softly.

She lowered her head and asked the most important question, "Do you love her?"

"Si, I do," he paused to gather his thoughts, "It didn't happen straight away, Victoria, it grew between us. It grew over the months of sharing a life together. I'm truly sorry for everything."

She raised her head and gazed at him, "Don't apologise Diego. I'm just glad that you were able to find happiness after what happened." she replied.

He was startled to hear the sincerity in her voice, it wasn't something he would have expected her to say or feel. He thought that she would be angry and hurt but it seemed that she had accepted his marriage. Then he had a sudden insight, "Is there someone in your life?" he asked carefully and he was stunned to see a slight pink tinge to her ears.

She shrugged, "There could be."

He cocked his head at this uncommitted remark, "Victoria, I just want you to be happy, I want you to find love again. You have so much love to give that I don't want to see you waste it away," he said, "We have to follow whatever path that has been laid out for us and if that path leads to someone special for you, then don't hesitate to take it."

Victoria felt tears sting her eyes at his heartfelt words and knew just how true he was being.

For the next several hours they stayed by the stream and they talked and laughed like old times and yet, at the same time, it was different. They found that their old friendship was still there but the love that they had once felt for each other had changed, to the surprise of both of them. It was no longer the love of lovers but of a deep friendship; a friendship that would never die. Although a part of them would always love the other, would always cherish each other but events had conspired against them and life had taken a much different road than either of them had ever dreamt of.

Diego loved Selena now and as for Victoria, she had yet to acknowledge her growing feelings for Ruben.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Ten days later Victoria arrived back in Ensenada in a very thoughtful frame of mind. She had stayed several days in Los Angeles before the next stagecoach south arrived and although Diego and Selena tried to convince her to stay with them, she knew it was better for everyone if she stayed at the tavern. And she had been right for when she saw that Selena was pregnant, she knew she couldn't stay there; it would be too awkward for her, knowing that she was carrying Diego's child, a child that should have been hers.

During the week long journey home to Ensenada, she began to reflect on her feelings for Diego, on how happy he was with Selena and she could no longer deny his love for his wife and Selena's love for him. It was hard to do but Victoria looked deep into her heart and found that she was happy for him, pleased that he had found love in that awful time. She even recognised her own envy, her own possessiveness about Diego's coming child, came from her desire for her own children and now even that was lost to her.

Then she had a strange thought. Was it only because she wanted Diego's children or was it about children in general? Just because Diego was married and having a child of his own, it didn't mean that she couldn't have children. Her desire to have children had not changed; ever since she could remember she always wanted children and she could still have them. It just wouldn't be his. But she wouldn't marry just to have children, she wanted find that special someone to have them with.

This, in turn, made her reflect on Ruben and what he come to mean to her. She definitely liked him, liked him a lot actually and he liked her. They had been friends for a little over a year and from that kiss, their friendship had deepened, although she couldn't put her finger on HOW it had changed, except that it had. Was it because he had shown her his love that night, a love that had always been there and she simply didn't want to see it?

Or perhaps she was finally putting her past behind her and was willing to get on with her life. Could she imagine a life with Ruben? Could she see herself having children with him? And more importantly, could she see herself falling in love again, either with Ruben or with someone else? She knew that Diego was right in one regard, she wanted to be loved and give love in return. She had too many questions and not enough answers.

She had most of her questions answered when the stagecoach came to a lurching halt in the centre of Ensenada and Victoria saw Ruben waiting for her as she stepped out of the stage. Her heart flipped over at his obvious delight of seeing her and she felt herself blushing at his attention to her.

Ruben couldn't help but notice the slight blush on her lovely face and felt a thrill at her reaction to seeing him. He had arrived for the sole purpose of meeting Victoria and if she hadn't been on that particular stage, he would have come back when the next coach was due. He was in love with her and had missed her during the last several weeks. If he was honest with himself, the real reason he wanted to meet the stagecoach, was to make sure that she came back to him and not stay in Los Angeles.

When Ramon came back from San Diego and told him why his sister was not with him, he had a sudden attack of fear. He knew Victoria loved de la Vega and he believed that she still loved him and he felt afraid that he would lose her before he even had a chance with her. He knew it was illogical to think that way considering that the other man was married, but his fears were not logical.

"Hola Victoria, how was your journey?" he asked with a smile as he took her bags before he slowly lead the way home.

"Oh you know, it was long and tiresome," she replied as they walked down the street, "I can't wait to get home and wash this dust off."

He chuckled softly, "I know how you feel. Even travelling a day in this dusty heat makes me want to jump into the nearest bath tub, clothes and all."

She laughed, "That's just how I feel too."

Ruben glanced concernedly at the beautiful woman beside him, "I was sorry to hear about your friend's father." he said kindly.

She nodded, "Thank you Ruben," she replied, "I never expected that Don Alejandro would die. I mean he was so full of life and energy, it seemed as though he would live forever."

"I know," he replied, "We always believe that our loved ones would live forever and it hurts to know that everyone will die some day, including us. With my father's illness and death, I came to realise that we can't live in fear of what we have no control over but we can control how we live, of what we do with it and with whom we share that life with." he said quietly.

They stopped on the footpath as Victoria slowly digested his words, "We can't live in the past." she whispered.

He shook his head, "No, the past has gone, it can't be changed."

"We can only live for future." she replied as she gazed into his brown eyes, trying to find the answers that she was seeking.

Ruben returned her gaze, "Do you want that future Victoria?" he asked quietly.

She felt hot tears burn her eyes, "Yes, I want that future." she replied.

With those four words, everything fell into place, as she understood her need to see Diego. She needed to find peace in her heart, to find where her life was heading, to know if she could find love again. And before she could do that, she had let go of Diego. So, with her visit to Diego and with Ruben's gentle words ringing in her ears, she was able to just that. She finally let him go, so that she could live her own life once more.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, each lost with their own thoughts but as they reached the private entrance of the tavern. Ruben placed her bags on the ground, turned to Victoria and with a somewhat shy smile on his face, he took her hand in his, "Victoria, I know you've only just returned and have been through a lot but a troupe of actors arrived in town just yesterday and they will be performing a play in a couple of days. I was wondering if you would like to go."

His shy smile tugged at her heart, "Of course we would like to come." she replied.

"I'm not asking Ramon to go, I'm asking you." he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Victoria felt another blush creep over her face at her silly mistake and yet at the same time, she felt a strange tingle of excitement run through her body, "I would be honoured to go with you."

He beamed, "Wonderful, wonderful." he raised her hand and planted a soft kiss to her skin, pleased by the slight tremor he felt, "Until later Senorita Escalante."

She blushed again, "Until later Señor Ortega."

He kissed her hand once more before he turned and walked away, feeling very pleased. He would take his courtship of Victoria slowly, to give her time but he knew that one day, they would marry. Fate that had bought them together.

* * *

It was a year later, when Francisco Escalante, in full military uniform, escorted a rather nervous Victoria down the aisle of the Ensenada Mission Chapel, towards the man she had fallen in love with, Ruben Ortega. His courtship had gone faster than either of them had expected but they weren't complaining. They both knew that their love felt so right that it was a natural progression to marry without a long engagement.

As she passed from her brother's arm to her groom's, Victoria felt such love in her heart that it overwhelmed her and she had to fight back tears of happiness. When she gazed into Ruben's brown eyes, she saw that he was affected in the same way; he too was fighting back his strong feelings of love and happiness.

She had never expected to feel this way again, not after everything she had gone through but Ruben's heart-felt courtship touched something deep within her, touched her need to be loved and to give love in return. Her love had blossomed under his gentleness, his understanding and in return, she opened Ruben's heart to trust and to love again after the terrible way his first wife had walked out on him.

They both had suffered terrible loses in life and yet they had managed to find love once again and they were determined not to let anything come in the way of that love. And if it did, they would see it through together.

Afterwards, as they walked out of the chapel as husband and wife, they felt that nothing could touch them.

* * *

The end

A/N - I want to thank everyone who has stayed with this story. I know it's the not the traditional Diego / Victoria ending that most people want (including myself) but sometimes I need to write something different. To explore the "what if they met someone else" scenario.

It was still a happy ending, just not with each other :)


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